Australian Government announces grants to find solutions to fisheries bycatch

A page from ACAP's Bycatch Mitigation Fact Sheet on Pelagic Line-Weighting - available to download from ACAP's website

The Australian Government has announced an investment of $3.9 million Australian Dollars to reduce bycatch of threatened and/or migratory listed species protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in Australian commercial wild-catch fisheries.

The provision of grants of between $50,000 and $500,000 will be administered through the Threatened and Migratory Species Fisheries Bycatch Mitigation Program. Eligible applicants will be supported to develop practical solutions to reduce the accidental death of protected species from interactions with fishing gear.

“This program will help protect our protected species, such as sharks, turtles, dugongs, sawfish and albatross and other seabirds from accidentally ending up in fishing nets or on fishing lines,” said Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek in a statement.

“Australian fisheries are some of the best managed in the world – but there is always more to do when it comes to the conservation of our threatened and migratory species,” the minister further added.

ACAP routinely reviews the efficacy of seabird bycatch mitigation measures for use in fisheries and provides advice appropriate to each gear type. Updated advice and detailed technical specifications of mitigation measures are provided in review and summary advice documents available on the ACAP website. 

The program is open to Australian business and organisations, and the deadline for applications is Monday 23 January

Further information on the program including eligibility and how to apply can be found on the Australian Government’s Business page.

5 December 2022