Grantees for the Global Fund for Marine Mammal Bycatch Solutions

The Global Bycatch Exchange is pleased to announce the first round of grantees for the Global Fund for Marine Mammal Bycatch Solutions   

Grant Recipient: Green Balkans

Project Location: Bulgaria

Project Title: BLACK SEA HARBOUR PORPOISE (Phocoena phocoena relicta) BYCATCH MITIGATION IN THE BULGARIAN WATERS OF THE BLACK SEA

Grant Award: $24,000

Summary of Project: Black Sea harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena spp. relicta) is a critically endangered population (IUCN Red List) restricted to the Black Sea and adjacent Seas of Azov and Marmara with single records from the Aegean Sea. Green Balkans will use this grant award to test pingers on gillnet fishing vessels with observers to evaluate their potential to reduce its bycatch.

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Grant Recipient: Ghana Wildlife Society

Project Partners: The Conservation and Research on West African Aquatic Mammals-Ghana (COREWAM-GHANA)

Project Location: Ghana

Project Title: ASSESSING AND ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL BASELINE ON MARINE MAMMAL BYCATCH IN GHANA

Grant Award: $36,200

Summary of Project: Marine mammals caught incidentally while fishing are sold and consumed as bushmeat in West Africa, with Ghana considered the highest contributor in terms of species caught and landed. Ghana Wildlife Society will use this award to establish baseline information on marine mammal bycatch including species composition, fishing methods and interactions, and the socio-economic importance of the practice through interviews with fishing crew and community leaders.

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Grant Recipient: WWF-India

Project Location: India

Project Title: Mapping cetacean occurrence and bycatch in Indian waters: Bridging knowledge gaps through fisher community networks

Grant Award: $31,434

Summary of Project: Although bycatch in fisheries is a known cause of significant cetacean mortality globally, little is known about this issue in Indian waters. WWF-India plans to use this award to produce baseline information on national marine mammal bycatch using traditional fishing knowledge from coastal communities and a new app to facilitate self-reporting. These communities will be able to form networks for sharing information with each other, which can facilitate the expansion of bycatch mitigation solutions along the coast.

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