National Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) - FY2026/27
DOC NOAA - ERA Production · Opportunity NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2027-33398
≈ 30 awards expected
Who can apply
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Public and State institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Native American tribal organizations (other)
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3), other than higher education
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3)
- Private institutions of higher education
- Individuals
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Others
Eligible applicants are individuals, institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and state, local, U.S. territorial, Alaska Native, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or instrumentalities are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. If an eligible applicant has questions regarding this funding opportunity, they should contact: Justin Pearce Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-427-8521 NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov
About this opportunity
This grant program provides competitive grants to non-Federal researchers working to benefit U.S. fishermen and fisheries, including aquaculture, through the development of improved fishing practices and innovative gear technologies. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended (MSA), 16 U.S.C. 1865, requires that NOAA’s conservation and management measures minimize bycatch to the extent practicable and established the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) to support the development of technological devices and other conservation engineering changes to minimize bycatch and reduce post-release mortality of non-target species in our nation’s fisheries. Bycatch reduction is a priority for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), as outlined in the NMFS National Bycatch Reduction Strategy (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/bycatch/national-bycatchreduction-strategy). Fisheries bycatch can contribute to overfishing, population declines for threatened and endangered species, and can result in commercial fishery closures. This Program seeks to support the development and testing of fishing gears and approaches that can be applied in commercial and recreational fisheries to reduce bycatch and post-release mortality and address the MSA requirements to minimize bycatch and habitat impacts.
Award history — Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (Assistance Listing 11.452)
This program made 3 new awards in FY2025.
Across the 20 most recent awards. Total obligations, not per-year.
New awards recorded on USAspending.gov under the federal program that funds this opportunity. FY2025 figures may still be incomplete. DOC NOAA - ERA Production does not publish how many applications it receives, so a true success rate cannot be computed for this program — no one can honestly sell you that number.
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