October 9, 2014 — Bycatch occurs when fishing operations discard fish or interact with marine mammals, seabirds, or sea turtles and can have significant biological, economic, and social impacts on fisheries. Reducing bycatch is a priority for NOAA Fisheries and is a key component in the efforts to end overfishing in the United States under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. To work toward reductions in bycatch nationwide, the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) helps identify and foster the development of innovative technological solutions to bycatch issues in our nation’s fisheries. The BREP provides funds critical to key non-federal partners for developing technological solutions and investigating changes in fishing practices designed to minimize bycatch of fish and protected species and minimize bycatch injury and mortality.
The 2013 BREP Report to Congress highlights outcomes and management applications of projects funded with $2.44 million in FY2012 in four priority areas:
– Reducing protected species bycatch
– Reducing post-release mortality
– Improving fishing practices
– Developing innovative technologies
The project summaries below provide more detail on the projects funded with the 2012 grants that are being implemented across the country.