March 26, 2015 — The following was released by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation:
OVERVIEW
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will run a national program that will award grants to catalyze the implementation of electronic technologies (ET) for catch monitoring in US fisheries. We anticipate awarding up to $4 million through this solicitation, and expect that approximately 50% of the funds will support projects in the Gulf of Mexico.
BACKGROUND
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that preserves and restores our nation’s native wildlife species and habitats. Created by Congress in 1984, NFWF establishes partnerships to invest public conservation dollars, matched with private funds, in the most pressing environmental needs. NFWF has a long and successful history of working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish public-private partnerships to support the agency’s conservation priorities.
Since 2010 NFWF has managed the Fisheries Innovation Fund (FIF), a Public Private partnership with NOAA focused on awarding grants to foster innovation and support effective participation of fishermen and fishing communities in the implementation of sustainable fisheries in the US. Approximately 30% of the FIF projects have focused on testing different aspects of electronic monitoring and reporting in fisheries across multiple regions. NFWF will draw on this experience to ensure the success of the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Implementation Grant Program (EMR Grant Program).
The EMR Grant Program will advance NOAA’s sustainable fisheries goals to partner with fishermen and other stakeholders to systematically integrate technology into fisheries data collections and observations for fisheries management. The EMR Grant Program will solicit proposals that advance implementation of promising electronic technologies that improve the timeliness of fisheries data, increase knowledge of the fisheries for management purposes, and empower fishermen and other citizens to become more actively involved in the data collection process.
In FY15 the focus will be supporting the implementation of a voluntary cost-shared electronic monitoring and reporting programs that support fisheries conservation and management, including but not limited to, the for-hire recreational fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, pursuant to Public Law 113-235, Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.