A Letter from NMFS
Reducing bycatch for the better
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU
By Janet Coit
ishermen sometimes catch and discard animals they do not want, cannot sell, or are not allowed to keep, creating what we know as bycatch. Left unaddressed, bycatch affects threatened and endangered species and protected marine mammals and can close directed fisheries, significantly impacting U.S. economic growth. Reducing bycatch delivers many benefits to our marine resources and can actually increase fishing opportunities and efficiency, as well as catch rates for target species. Bycatch reduction is a key component in managing and maintaining sustainable fisheries and supporting America’s coastal communities. In fact, it’s one of the 10 National Standards under which U.S. fisheries are managed. In the last decade, NOAA Fisheries committed over $20 million to fund more than 100 projects through the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program. This year, we announced $2.2 million for 12 bycatch reduction projects. NOAA works collaboratively with partners to find creative approaches and strategies to reduce bycatch, seabird interactions, and post-release mortality in federally managed fisheries. We work side by side with fishermen on their boats to develop and test fishing gear and other technologies to confront some of the top bycatch challenges facing our nation’s fisheries and their habitat. We will continue to study and address bycatch to maintain sustainable fisheries, recover protected species, and support the Blue Economy.
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Janet Coit is the assistant administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service. She oversees the federal agency responsible for recreational and commercial fisheries.
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December 2021 \ National Fisherman 9
