Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Annual Report to Congress, 2015
June 30, 2016
This report highlights outcomes of projects funded through the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) Fiscal Year 2015.
NOAA Fisheries has long been committed to reducing bycatch. TheBycatch Reduction Engineering Program supports technological solutions and conservation engineering practices that minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality in federally managed fisheries. BREP is also a key component of the 2016 National Bycatch Reduction Strategy. Since Fiscal Year 2012, NOAA Fisheries has supported 84 BREP awards to external partners including state governments, academia, and the fishing industry. This report summarizes the outcomes of BREP awards from Fiscal Year 2014. The majority of this work was done in Fiscal Year 2015, with results reported in Fiscal Year 2016.