Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Funding

The Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program provides funding to support applied management projects and activities to reduce bycatch. Bycatch reduction is a top priority for NOAA Fisheries, as outlined in our National Bycatch Reduction Strategy. Bycatch contributes to overfishing, threatens endangered and threatened species and protected marine mammals, and can close fisheries, significantly impacting U.S. economic growth. Through this program, we support the development and testing of fishing gears that minimize bycatch and habitat impacts. 

There are four high-priority areas for the Fiscal Year 2021:

• Developing innovative and effective technologies
• Improving understanding of post-release mortality
• Developing techniques to reduce interactions between fishing gears and corals, sponges, and other structure-forming invertebrates
• Addressing international bycatch issues