NOAA Recommends Projects to Support Bycatch Reduction Research

NOAA Fisheries has recommended 13 projects — including six for the West Coast, Alaska and the Pacific Islands — to support innovative bycatch reduction research through its Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program.

NOAA Fisheries officials said that as of Sept. 30 that the application approval and obligation of funds were not finalized. Each application is currently listed as recommended and not a guarantee of funding.

NOAA Fisheries provided detailed information for just some of the recommended projects, but for the West Coast, the recommendations include $245,743 for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and $193,391 for Sub Sea Sonics, a San Diego firm that provides low-cost solutions for underwater equipment recovery.

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission would evaluate the efficacy of longline-configured crab gear compared to conventional single-pot gear. The project would help identify configurations of longline gear that can significantly reduce the presence of vertical lines in the fishery.

Alaska would potentially receive $197,595 for bycatch reduction research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and $199,998 for FishNext Research LLC, of Mountlake Terrace, Wash., a research organization that does conservation work through grants and contracts.

The goal of the UAF project is to reduce or eliminate killer whale mortalities and serious injuries caused by net entanglements in the Amendment 80 deep-water flatfish trawl fishery through development and implementation of gear modification.

The device is a barrier across the net entrance to deter or prevent killer whales from entering. FishNext Research’s project would accelerate adoption of active selection systems, improving their use through experience and familiarity, while continuing to improve related technology.

In the Pacific Islands, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation would receive $205,625 to conduct a comprehensive search for organic materials suitable for biodegradable Fish Aggregating Devices (or bio-FADs in the western and eastern Pacific region.

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Group would get $74,328 to build on traditional knowledge of shark-fisher interaction across the Pacific Islands small boat commercial fishery.

Source: https://fishermensnews.com/noaa-recommends-projects-to-support-bycatch-reduction-research/