2024 Funding Opportunity Open
NOAA Fisheries announces the availability of about $2.3 million for collaborative bycatch reduction projects. We invite non-federal researchers working on the development of improved fishing practices and innovative gear technologies that reduce bycatch to apply and encourages
applicants to include and demonstrate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
We’re looking for proactive, meaningful, and equitable community engagement in the identification, design, and/or implementation of proposed projects.
NOAA Fisheries has awarded $2.5 million to partners around the country to support 14 innovative bycatch reduction research projects through its Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program.
Bycatch is catch that fishermen do not want, cannot sell, or are not allowed to keep. Bycatch of various species—fish, marine mammals, or turtles—can have significant biological, economic, and social impacts. Preventing and reducing bycatch is a shared goal of fisheries managers, the fishing industry, and the environmental community.
Working side-by-side with fishermen on their boats we've developed solutions to some of the top bycatch challenges facing our nation's fisheries.
Examples of past regional projects include:
- Researchers on the West Coast showed that a dual sorting, flexible grid system called Flexigrid reduces under-sized sablefish bycatch by more than 45%. It does this while maintaining catch of adult sablefish and other target fish species.
- In the Southeast, use of larger circle hooks is reducing bycatch of under-sized red grouper by more than 70 percent. Smaller circle hooks are providing greater selectivity at catching red snapper.
2023 Recipients by Region
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
- Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society (SMELTS): $248,087
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Inc.: $187,042
- Blue Planet Strategies LLC: $171,003
- Gulf of Maine Research Institute: $199,668
- George Mason University: $201,988
Southeast/Gulf of Mexico
- Louisiana State University: $180,540
West Coast
- Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission: $179,873
- Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research: $228,876
- Wild Fish Conservancy: $199,500
Alaska
- University of Washington: $221,309
- International Pacific Halibut Commission: $199,870
Pacific Islands
- Eric Gilman LLC: $78,700
- The Carl Safina Center, Inc.: $79,599
- University of California, San Diego: $139,659
Priority Research Areas for Fiscal Year 2023
- Researching new technology
- Encouraging technology adoption
- Reducing post-release mortality
- Avoiding habitat interactions
- Conducting international research
