Protected species bycatch shapes fisheries through gear restrictions, handling practices, and closures

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the University of Florida a $289,977 cooperative agreement on October 1, 2025, under the Cooperative Research Program (CFDA 11.472) to develop a conceptual and analytical framework for assessing protected species bycatch interactions in the Pacific Islands region.

The award funds four key objectives: maintaining, improving, and innovating a near real-time oceanographic covariate pipeline for dataset enhancement; conducting retrospective analyses of protected species bycatch drivers; assessing protected species population status and trends; and developing and testing a short-term protected species bycatch forecasting tool. Deliverables include improved datasets for fisheries forecasting and ecosystem-based fisheries management applications, scientific publications and presentations, and a documented analytical framework for projecting future protected species bycatch interactions in the Pacific Islands.

Work is performed in Gainesville, Florida, with a period of performance through September 30, 2029. The University of Florida Division of Sponsored Research administers the award as the recipient.

In the pacific islands region, multiple protected species bycatch issues coalesce to generate a challenging fisheries management ecosystem that is likely shifting. We propose to develop a conceptual and analytical framework for assessing the drivers, trends, and future of protected species interactions in the pacific islands region. Our goals are to take stock of the current status of protected species bycatch in a multi-species context, enhance fisheries-dependent and fisheries-independent datasets, and develop short-term forecasts of protected bycatch. To achieve these goals, we have four key objectives of (1) maintaining, improving, and innovating a near real-time oceanographic covariate pipeline for dataset enhancement; (2) conducting retrospective analyses of protected species bycatch drivers; (3) assessing protected species population status and trends; and (4) developing and testing a short-term protected species bycatch forecasting tool. The key outcomes of this proposed research will be improved datasets for fisheries forecasting and ecosystem-based fisheries management applications, scientific publications and presentations, and a documented analytical framework for projecting the future of protected species bycatch interactions in the pacific islands.