Ocean Associates, Inc., in collaboration with the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reductionand with funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs andSeafood Inspection, is pleased to announce the availability of grants to support capacity buildingfor reducing marine mammal bycatch.The kinds of projects eligible for support can include:1) Evaluation of potential marine mammal bycatch reduction techniques;2) Establishing estimates of bycatch and calculating bycatch limits in fisheries thatinteract with marine mammals; and3) Advancing measures to prohibit intentional killing or serious injury to marinemammals associated with fishing operations.For 2020, US$62,000 is available to support projects. We anticipate granting one to twoawards. We will consider a maximum request of $40,000, and a minimum of $10,000. Prioritywill be given to applications from developing countries, which can focus on national initiatives orprojects within particular fisheries, with preference given to ones that export seafood to theUnited States. All applicants must be willing to accommodate and fund a graduate student orpost-Doc to assist with the project methodology, implementation, and writing of report results.The Bycatch Consortium can help identify a student, if needed. For projects not in developingcountries, proposals should outline how the results would have application in developingcountry fisheries. There is no matching fund requirement. Proposals will be accepted up toDecember 31, 2020, and should end by December 31, 2021. Proposals of longerduration will be eligible for support, though not encouraged. A rationale for project timingshould be submitted for all applications.
For more information, please visit the Global Bycatch Exchange at www.bycatch.org or contact
Tim Werner at [email protected].