Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program 2022 Report to Congress

Funding Bycatch Reduction

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Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Annual Report to Congress, 2022 (PDF, 14 pages)

Bycatch occurs when fishermen discard catch of marine species, or when marine mammals, seabirds, or protected fish are injured or killed by fishing gear. Reducing bycatch in fisheries can improve the recovery of protected species and has positive biological, economic, and social impacts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has long been committed to reducing bycatch through management, monitoring, research, enforcement, education, and communication efforts, as described in the National Bycatch Reduction Strategy. 

The Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP), authorized under Section 316 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, supports technological solutions and conservation engineering practices. These solutions and practices minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality in managed fisheries. From FY 2012 through 2022, NMFS has supported 171 BREP awards totaling approximately $25 million to external partners, including state governments, academia, and the fishing industry. The awards are geographically diverse and address four different priorities: reducing protected species bycatch, developing innovative technologies, improving fishing practices, and reducing post-release mortality. The vast majority of BREP projects involve the fishing industry. This ensures that these key partners are engaged in developing solutions to address bycatch issues. The results of many BREP-funded projects inform new regulations or other management actions.

Highlights & Outcomes

This report summarizes the outcomes of BREP awards funded by NMFS in FY 2022, totaling more than $2 million. This report shows that bycatch reduction research, as with any research, can result in a range of outcomes. Finding technological solutions to bycatch problems is a multiyear and multidisciplinary endeavor. It requires technical expertise, collaboration with fishermen, and effective communication with managers and fisheries partners. The following project summaries, submitted by principal investigators and edited, as needed, by NMFS, are organized by 2022 funding priorities. These are designed to provide a brief snapshot of the individual projects, approaches to bycatch challenges, and, where possible, results or outgrowths from the BREP funding.

2022 Funding by Priority

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Reducing Protected Species Bycatch

In 2022, four BREP-funded projects focused on reducing protected species bycatch across the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. These efforts included: 

• Developing and testing ropeless or on-demand fishing gear to prevent large whale entanglements
• Evaluating turtle excluder devices in squid trawl fisheries 
• Reducing bycatch of salmon and green sturgeon through gear innovations

Together, these projects provide important information on reducing risks to endangered and vulnerable marine species.

Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society (SMELTS) {$199,824}: 

Marking Ropeless Lift Bag Gear with Ocean Surface and Subsea Acoustic Locations

SMELTS is working to reduce entanglement risk to large whales in fixed gear fisheries with its innovative ropeless/ondemand lifting engine. SMELTS, working with Captain Robert Martin, outfitted and installed a complete shipboard system on fishing vessel Resolve, which includes a multi-function display and in-hull transducer that communicates to the seafloor and marks and retrieves SMELTS ropeless/on-demand fishing gear. SMELTS built six new Lobster Rafts™ and donated them to NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center to be added to the Gear Lending Library. This BREP funding provided more opportunities to new harvesters who are willing to help advance ropeless/ondemand fishing. BREP funding supported SMELTS in developing a new tool and methodology in fisheries practices that foster the conservation and recovery of protected species and allow for sustainable harvest of the nation’s marine resources.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County {$205,240}:

Assessment and Outreach Program for Turtle Excluder Devices Within the Longfin Squid Fishery of the Greater Atlantic Region

Bycatch mortality in commercial fisheries remains a primary threat to sea turtles worldwide. To conserve sea turtle populations, there have been continued development and implementation of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) for trawl fisheries. This project implemented a multi-faceted approach, which included fishing industry outreach and an extensive at-sea evaluation of two TED designs. The outreach component of this program utilized workshops and industry surveys to gather input and join the commercial fishing industry, scientific researchers, and fisheries management sectors to support the development of conservation engineering devices to minimize turtle bycatch and reduce mortalities while maintaining a sustainable and viable inshore longfin squid fishery.

Cornell Cooperative Extension held a TED workshop with attendees from across the commercial fishing and science communities and created a survey link for longfin squid permit holders. At-sea trials were performed south of Long Island, New York, for a total of 16 days of twin trawling, testing a control trawl net side by side with an experimental trawl net outfitted with a TED inserted into the upper extension of the net. Initial discussions with longfin squid fishermen identified a 15 percent or greater reduction in squid catch, which was deemed to be an unreasonable amount of loss, where these devices would have too great of an economic burden. Preliminary results show one TED device saw no Reducing Protected Species Bycatch reduction in squid catch when compared to a control net, and the other TED saw a 10 percent decrease. Although no turtles were captured during this study, other common species caught as bycatch in the inshore squid fishery were reduced, such as dogfish and skates. At-sea trials showed up to 65 percent decrease in these species combined using a TED. Cornell Cooperative Extension plans on a final data analysis and report presentation for the second workshop to be held by the end of 2025.

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Ocean Associates, Inc. {$199,154}: 

Optimizing the Implementation of Whale-Release Ropes to Reduce Large Whale Entanglement Risk

This project quantifies risk reduction for large whales, particularly the North Atlantic right whale, from entanglement in pot buoy lines by simulating outcomes using whale-release ropes versus regular strength ropes. With a population of around 380 individuals, the North Atlantic right whale is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Finding solutions to reduce entanglement is critical for population recovery. Most lobster fishermen use ropes with a breaking strength of 2,500 lb, though studies show they can maintain catch and revenue with 1,700 poundsforce (lbf ) ropes—weak enough for adult right whales to break free of entangling gear. This study simulates entanglements using an anatomically accurate, articulate computer model of a right whale, combined with marine engineering software to test whale–fishing line collisions under different conditions. It compares ropes with a uniform 1,700 lbf breaking strength versus ropes modified with weak links at different locations. The findings inform NOAA’s North Atlantic Right Whale Decision Support Tool and assist fishermen in selecting appropriate weak rope configurations. Preliminary results show that hauling tensions in waters less than 300 feet can stay below 1,700 lbf if fishermen make operational adjustments such as slower hauling in higher sea states, keeping vessels over the gear, and adding a groundline extension. Tensions routinely Reducing Protected Species Bycatch exceed 1,700 lbf in waters over 300 feet, indicating that weak rope use should focus on coastal waters. Whale speed significantly influences line tension: a whale swimming at 3 knots barely exceeds 1,700 lbf, while one swimming at 7 knots can exceed 9,000 lbf. The time to reach 1,700 lbf varies from 3 to 23 seconds for a whale at 7 knots, while for 9,000 lbf rope, it can take more than 128 seconds. lbf varies from 3 to 23 seconds for a whale at 7 knots, while for 9,000 lbf rope, it can take more than 128 seconds.

UC Santa Cruz {$133,720}:

Gear Interactions in the California Halibut Bottom Trawl Fishery

UC Santa Cruz evaluated fish-gear interactions in the commercial California halibut bottom trawl fishery to inform bycatch reduction measures for green sturgeon, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act. This study builds on partnerships developed through years of cooperative research with California halibut trawl fishermen, NOAA observers, NMFS Science Centers, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. From 2013 to 2021, these partners collaborated to evaluate post-release survival of green sturgeon caught in the fishery as well as to optimize the deployment of underwater camera systems on trawl nets to capture video footage of gear interacting with fish. For this project, camera systems were deployed on multiple vessels across multiple years, video data was analyzed, and a workshop was hosted with project partners
to share study results and discuss next steps. Overall, 258 hours of underwater video footage was collected and analyzed from five vessels across 58 days and 141 tows. Behavior was recorded for 22 observations of green sturgeon, more than 300 observations of California halibut, and more than 700 flatfish as these fish interacted with the trawl gear. A workshop was held in December 2024 to share and discuss the analysis results with project partners. Nine trawl fishermen representing nine fishing vessels participated in the workshop. Workshop outcomes included agreement to continue collaborative studies, including characterization of the trawl gear to identify potential gear modifications and behavior studies to evaluate the response of green sturgeon and California halibut to those modifications.

A no-cost extension of the BREP grant was approved through January 2026. Remaining BREP funds are planned to be spent on building modified gear to be tested in the field by the fishermen, as well as supporting fish behavior studies. All of this work contributes to the overall goal of reducing bycatch while maintaining or even enhancing target species catch in the fishery.

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Innovative Technology

In 2022, four BREP-funded projects on the West and East coasts focused on innovative technology to address bycatch challenges. These included large-scale implementation of ropeless gear systems in California and Maine, development of an active selection system for real-time bycatch release in trawl fisheries, and a novel tagging device for leatherback sea turtles. These projects showcase cutting-edge solutions to reduce bycatch and improve fishery sustainability.

LiftLabs, Inc. {$211,290}:

Low-Cost Offshore Ropeless System to Reduce Marine Mammal Entanglement on the Atlantic Coast

LiftLabs, Inc. successfully completed its 2022 NOAA project to develop a low-cost, offshorecapable ropeless fishing system for the Maine lobster fishery. The Offshore Lift system, designed through collaboration with fishermen in Maine, can lift 250 pounds from depths up to 600 feet and fits within standard trap dimensions. Sixteen units were built with key innovations including a sled-mounted Lift design, rapid surfacing buoy enhancements, and optional lift bag integration to improve deflation efficiency on deck. To ensure affordability and interoperability, LiftLabs integrated the SubSeaSonics AR-50 acoustic release ($250) retrieval device, making this the lowest-cost offshore ropeless solution available. The LiftLabs mobile app connects with the Ropeless Manufacturer’s Workgroup RMWhub gear marking database and is being integrated with EarthRanger to enable real-time, anonymous gear visibility. Initial feedback from testing partners and participating fishermen shaped system refinements, including firmware upgrades and hardware modifications. Results were shared at the 2023 and 2024 Ropeless Consortiums, supporting ongoing industry adoption and innovation.

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SubSea Sonics, LLC{$199,824}: 

Transition to Full-Scale Ropeless Fishing to Extend the Season in the California Dungeness Crab Fishery

This project focused on achieving the first large-scale implementation of ropeless fishing on the U.S. West Coast, building on prior BREP-supported pilot work. It addressed marine mammal entanglement in trap vertical lines by expanding access to low-cost ropeless fishing technology. The research focused on the Dungeness crab fishery, where entanglement threatens humpback, gray, and blue whales, as well as the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle. The project met BREP priorities to reduce bycatch and test piloted gear. Four objectives guided the project: establishing authorization pathways, providing outreach and training, demonstrating large-scale scaling of ropeless fishing, and identifying technology improvements and barriers. The project met all objectives. It provided outreach and training for early adopters, and conducted 239 trials with a 97.1 percent success rate in gear reliability. Two fishermen participated for more than 30 days each, cycling 1,195 traps total—grappling successfully retrieved gear when the on-demand system failed—and enforcement personnel participated in sea trials. Further testing, training, and stakeholder engagement are planned through 2024.

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Wildlife Computers,Inc. {$81,967}:

A Power Delivery Device and Tag Anchor for Deploying Towed Electronic Tags on Leatherback Sea Turtles

The leatherback turtle is an endangered species that is vulnerable to becoming caught in fishing gear throughout its range. In the Pacific, juvenile leatherback turtles are caught as bycatch in high seas longline fisheries. Regulations currently limit the number of takes in the Hawaii based shallow-set longline fishery to 16, at which the fishery shuts down. In order to learn more about the distribution of leatherbacks and the impact of fisheries on their populations, scientists use electronic tags to study leatherback movements, behavior, and post-release survivorship. The goal of this project is to develop a novel deployment system for towed electronic tags that can be used by fishery observers to tag leatherback turtles over the side of a longline vessel. The system Innovative Technology includes a small stainless steel anchor that is embedded through the carapace bone with a springpowered delivery pole. The pole is modular and can be assembled into 1-, 2-, or 3-meter lengths for use over the side of different sized vessels. An anchor and short deployment pole have been developed and successfully tested on leatherback turtles on nesting beaches in Indonesia. Wildlife Computers, Inc. is in the final stages of developing and testing a longer 3-meter device. Development of the system is being closely monitored by fishery managers and researchers in other countries, such as New Zealand, where longline fishery bycatch ofmleatherback turtles also occurs. The novel system will enable direct measurement of post-release survivorship of leatherbacks caught in longline fisheries and provide opportunities for tagging leatherback turtles or other species alongside vessels, increasing the information available to guide fishery management and conservation worldwide.

FishNext Research, LLC {$139,641}: 

Improving and Encouraging Adoption of Active Selection Systems to Reduce Bycatch in Catch-Share Trawl Fisheries of the North Pacific

The critically endangered Salmon bycatch constrains two of the nation’s most consistently productive catch-share fisheries—Alaska pollock and West Coast hake. Despite low bycatch rates and use of passive excluders and other methods to reduce bycatch, salmon’s commercial, recreational, cultural, and conservation value drives efforts to further reduce bycatch. Many large trawlers in both fisheries now use cameras to monitor what fish are being caught. FishNext Research LLC’s previous BREP project developed a prototype active selection(ActSel) system allowing vessels to release bycatch species as they are seen. This system moves a net panel to either cover or direct fish into an escape opening. This project gained experience from deploying ActSel on fishing vessels, further improved the system, and expanded awareness of this capability to the relevant fleets, as well as scientific and management bodies.

Eight ActSel deployments ranged from a single day to a full fishing season. Problems adjusting the control lines during initial deployments motivated a session of model trials that improved the kite designs. A better actuator greatly expanded both control and feedback. Industry participation, mediated through a guidance team, was critical to both practical system development and communication and awareness across the interested fleets. Presentations at scientific and management meetings kept those communities apprised of their progress. This work provides the pollock and hake fisheries with the capability to selectively avoid bycatch species. Ongoing work will continue fleet collaborations to implement ActSel on more vessels while continuing to improve the system as experience accumulates.

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Reducing Post-Release Mortality

In 2022, two BREP-funded projects explored how to reduce post-release mortality. One project assessed post-release mortality of Atlantic bluefin tuna in a recreational fishery off New England. The other evaluated survival of scalloped hammerhead sharks in the U.S. pelagic longline fishery using satellite tagging and environmental modeling. Findings from these efforts will help inform best handling practices and improve estimates of post-release survival for these high-priority species.

University of Maine {$210,822}:

Measuring Post-Release Mortality in the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Catch and Release Fishery off of New England

Atlantic bluefin tuna are among the most pursued fish in the world, known for their size, strength, and value as high-end sashimi, attracting significant interest from both commercial and recreational fisheries in the United States. Historically targeted by commercial fleets off New England, bluefin tuna have seen a recent rise in catch and-release by recreational vessels, particularly for commercial-sized fish, due to conservation successes and increasing abundance. While some released fish suffer mortality from hooking injury or stress, it is critical to quantify that mortality and establish best practices to minimize it, ensuring sustainability for this ecologically and economically important species. Prolonged rod-and-reel fights for large bluefin tuna can induce lethal stress, highlighting the need to understand the impacts of this emerging fishery on bluefin tuna stocks.
The University of Maine has deployed 63 of 87 survival tags on commercial-sized bluefin tuna to estimate post-release mortality in the U.S. rod-and-reel fishery targeting fish over 73 inches. Of these, only one mortality was observed (~1.6 percent), aligning with previous research. To ensure relevance, a regional survey of 300+ fishermen informed gear and techniques used for tagging, while also revealing that 57 percent of participants were inexperienced. As a result, 25 tags were reserved for the inexperienced fishery, but only one has been deployed so far, with the remaining 24 to be used by experienced captains simulating inexperienced behavior in the 2025 season. This research will help improve post-release survival estimates and best-practice guidelines, supporting the health of bluefin tuna populations and U.S. fishing interests.

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Arizona State University {$149,000}: 

Measuring and Reducing Post-Release Mortality for Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks in the Commercial Pelagic Longline Fishery

The overall goal of the proposed study is to improve the survivability of scalloped hammerheads discarded in the U.S. Atlantic pelagic longline fishery. This will be accomplished by addressing two primary objectives: (1) quantify postrelease mortality of scalloped hammerheads in the U.S. pelagic longline fishery using satellite telemetry and (2) model the effects of environmental conditions, fishing and handling practices, and biological characteristics (e.g., sex and size) on post-release mortality to identify best fishing practices that maximize post-release survival. Results will be disseminated to relevant policymakers and scientific community members. In May 2024, fieldwork was conducted onboard a pelagic longline fishing vessel out of Wanchese, North Carolina. Thirty three scalloped hammerhead sharks were captured and tagged with pop-off satellite archival tags before being released. Various body measurements were taken from each shark, as well as indices of body and release condition. At the end of the tag deployment periods, transmitted data were downloaded and vertical movement was assessed to determine mortality events. The observed vertical movement graphs suggested an absence of mortality in the 33 scalloped hammerhead sharks sampled. An analysis of vertical movement patterns and the post-capture recovery period is currently in progress.

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Improving Fishing Practices

In 2022, two BREP-funded projects explored how to improve fishing practices on the West Coast and in the Southeast. One project tested a semi-rigid sorting grid to reduce juvenile sablefish catch in the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery, while the other evaluated magnetic shark deterrents to minimize depredation in the snapper-grouper fishery off the Atlantic coast of Florida.

PSMFC {$166,986}: 

Development of a System to Reduce Juvenile Sablefish Catches in the West Coast Groundfish Bottom
Trawl Fishery

This project examined a semirigid sorting grid bycatch reduction device designed to reduce catch constraints caused by juvenile sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in the West Coast groundfish bottom trawl fishery. Gear trials were conducted onboard the F/V Last Straw out of Newport, Oregon. The device reduced sablefish catches by 28 percent, with the highest reductions for fish less than 52 centimeters in length—sizes not desired by fishermen or seafood processors. Target catches of petrale sole (Eopsetta jordani) were maintained, while catches of Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus) were reduced by 8 percent by weight. Importantly, the device reduced catches of shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) by 40 percent by weight, a species that often constrains fishermen’s ability to harvest petrale and Dover sole under current quota limits. The study provides fishermen with valuable data on a device designed to reduce catch constraints and support efforts to maximize their quota shares of more abundant and higher-value groundfish species.

Florida Atlantic University {$197,595}:

Reducing Interactions Between Sharks and Snapper/Grouper Fisheries Through Novel Deterrent Devices

Florida Atlantic University conducted a robust scientific evaluation of the Sharkbanz Zeppelin, a novel magnetic shark deterrent that also serves as a sinker for recreational bottom fishing. Field testing was carried out in federal waters off the Florida Atlantic coast, a region previously deemed a shark depredation hotspot. Through collaborations with local for hire charter captains, they developed gear configurations to maximize the recently quantified magnetic footprint of the deterrent while targeting snapper-grouper species. They then incorporated this deterrent into bottom fishing trials (along with a control device) on natural and artificial reefs to assess its efficacy in reducing depredation, as well as its potential impacts on overall catch composition and size. Interactions between sharks and fishing activities were captured using an in-line GoFishCam, with catch rates, predator composition, and depredation compared between control and deterrent gears. Target catch rates and species composition were not statistically different between controls and deterrents. Unfortunately, while there was not a sufficient number of depredation events during the study to statistically assess the impact of the deterrent, sharks were exclusively caught (i.e., hooked) on control gear. Combined with a few observations of shark deterrence from live fish during retrieval, this suggests the Zeppelin shows significant promise in mitigating shark depredation. However, additional testing is encouraged to achieve statistical robustness. They also caution users to consider the fishing location, as goliath grouper depredations on both control and deterrent gear were evident at artificial reef sites.

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