This week, NOAA Fisheries announced that they recommended funding for thirteen proposals submitted to the 2024 Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP). The BREP funds work that aims to reduce fisheries bycatch through the use of “creative solutions”.
Projects recommended for funding are spread across the United State’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Projects include fisheries in all three coastlines of the contiguous U.S. (Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico), Alaska, and Pacific Islands. The proposed projects also include a variety of gear types and target fish. These include modifications to gillnets and longlines, improvements to on-demand pot and trap systems, testing biodegradable materials in Fish Aggregations Devices (FADs), installing excluder devices in trawl nets, and trialing shark deterrers, among others.
While these projects are recommended for funding, this does not guarantee funding which still needs to be announced.
Read more about the recommended projects at the link below.