The DWH oil spill had a large impact on northern gannets and great shearwaters

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program provides $653,740 to Memorial University of Newfoundland to reduce seabird bycatch in commercial fisheries. The project aims to (1) identify areas and times when seabird interactions are most intense and (2) test voluntary fishing practice modifications to reduce seabird bycatch. The project will incorporate education, training, and outreach, and develop partnerships with fisheries in areas where major Newfoundland herring and cod fisheries are conducted. In addition to quantifying the efficacy of seabird bycatch reduction strategies, the project will also ensure that target catch levels are maintained or catch efficiency is improved. The results of this project will be shared broadly to promote voluntary adoption of seabird bycatch reduction strategies across the regions where the injured species, northern gannets and great shearwaters, are at risk.

Reducing incidental mortality experienced at sea, such as commercial fisheries seabird bycatch, can help restore these injured species. This project will work with fisheries in which there is a risk of seabird bycatch to (1) identify areas and times when seabird interactions are most intense and (2) test voluntary fishing practice modifications to reduce seabird bycatch. This project will incorporate education, training, and outreach, and develop partnerships with fisheries in areas where major newfoundland herring and COD fisheries are conducted and which overlap with foraging areas near large seabird colonies. In addition to quantifying the efficacy of seabird bycatch reduction strategies, performance criteria will include that target catch levels be maintained and or catch efficiency be improved (e.g.,less time lost to removal of non-target bycatch, less bait lost, reductions in damage to fishing gear). The results of this project will be shared broadly through direct engagement with fishermen by partners and used to promote voluntary adoption of seabird bycatch reduction strategies across the regions where the injured species are at risk. Further, information gathered through this project, including through partnerships with commercial fisheries, will be shared with observer programs to help inform observer protocols and improve data collection efforts.