Project Grant F15AP00653

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $158,600 project grant under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.645) to Grupo Tortuguero De Las Californias, A.C., a nonprofit organization based in Mexico. The grant, awarded in August 2024, aims to build on the experience and momentum of the initial phase of the "MARES COMUNIDAD" project. The key objectives are to: 1) Design and facilitate structured knowledge exchange workshops to co-develop...

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded Ecolibrium, Inc. a $205,573 Project Grant under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.645) program. The grant, with a performance period from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2027, aims to promote holistic sea turtle conservation efforts in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and wider Caribbean. The key objectives are to: 1) strengthen and coordinate international networks and conventions that advance multi-scale sea turtle conservation,...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) awarded the Marine Research Foundation (MRF) a $227,500 Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.645) grant to mitigate bycatch of endangered sea turtles in shrimp trawl fisheries in Sarawak, Malaysia. The two-year project, commencing on August 1, 2024 and concluding on July 31, 2026, aims to introduce and provide turtle excluder devices (TEDs) to local fishers, raise their capacity to adapt TEDs to single and double net vessels, and develop enforcement...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $386,085 Cooperative Agreement to the Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc. to reduce incidental seabird mortality from commercial fisheries in the U.S. Atlantic region. The project aims to 1) identify areas and times when seabird interactions with fisheries are most intense, and 2) test voluntary fishing practice modifications to reduce seabird bycatch. In addition to quantifying the efficacy of seabird bycatch reduction strategies, the project will...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) provides $111,020.00 to restore suitable nesting habitat for the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in Puerto Rico. The goal is to reduce threats and enhance the quality of nesting beaches across approximately 128 acres along the southwest, south, and southeast coasts of the island, including Vieques. Planned restoration actions include constructing...

This $174,160 Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.645) will support community conservation efforts for leatherback turtles in the Playa Chacahua Sanctuary in Oaxaca, Mexico over three years. The key objectives are to: 1) Estimate the leatherback turtle nesting population through monitoring and nest protection activities, 2) Implement a strategy to manage invasive predators in the surrounding...

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Headquarters Region 9 awarded a $192,164 Project Grant through the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.645) to Asociacion Procosta, a non-profit organization in El Salvador. The project aims to empower local communities to enhance and sustain hawksbill sea turtle nesting productivity at three key sites in El Salvador: Jiquilisco Bay, Los Cbanos, and Punta Amapala. Key activities include safeguarding over 600 hawksbill...

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...

The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $127,017 Project Grant under the Broad Agency Announcement (CFDA 11.015) to The Ocean Foundation to collect sea turtle genetic samples. This will contribute to conservation and management planning efforts, and improve stock assessments and status reviews for sea turtle populations. The project will run from Sep 1, 2023 to Aug 31, 2024. Sea turtles are important components of healthy ocean and coral reef...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's International Affairs Program awarded a $309,968.42 Project Grant under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.645) to the Monitor Conservation Research Society, a Canadian non-profit organization, for a 3-year initiative to reduce illegal trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles (TFT) in Malaysia. The project aims to map the TFT supply chain and identify potential formal and informal "guardians" along the trade chain that can help prevent...