March 31, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is pleased to announce on behalf of Fishing for Energy partners, Covanta , Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, the availability of a request for proposals to support outreach and prevention strategies to reduce the impacts of derelict fishing gear to marine and coastal environments.
Fishing for Energy launched in 2008 through a partnership among Covanta, NFWF, NOAA Marine Debris Program, and Schnitzer Steel. Its goals are to provide a cost-free solution to fishermen to dispose of old, derelict or unusable fishing gear and to reduce the amount of derelict fishing gear in and around our coastal waterways.
The Fishing for Energy partners recognize that while derelict gear removal and disposal is a critical effort to reduce the threat of entanglement, entrapment and habitat scarring from marine debris, the real conservation gains are to be made in prevention of the threat, which is the focus of this Request for Proposals.
Questions? Please contact Michelle Pico at Michelle.Pico@nfwf.org or Kristen Byler at Kristen.Byler@nfwf.org or 202-595-0166.