Main Objectives. The USMCA Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction Project is a U.S.-Mexico collaborative effort to recover North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles and East Pacific leatherback sea turtles, and likely other sea turtle species, by reducing sea turtle bycatch in gillnet and longline fisheries through rapid bycatch assessments, information exchanges with fishers and fisheries management entities, development and expansion of alternative livelihoods that decrease unsustainable fishing pressures, and fostering the adoption of innovative bycatch mitigation technologies and turtle-friendly fishing practices by artisanal gillnet and longline fishers in Pacific Mexico. These efforts relate to USMCA Articles 24.18 (Sustainable Fisheries Management) and 24.19 (Conservation of Marine Species), and will promote healthy sea turtle populations and long- lasting, sustainable fisheries practices that do not harm non-target species. • Develop socially appropriate interview protocols and questionnaires to characterize the nature and frequency of fisheries interactions with loggerhead and leatherback turtles. • Conduct rapid bycatch assessments in up to 25 coastal fishing communities along the Pacific coast of Mexico. • Identify areas with the greatest bycatch impacts to loggerheads and leatherbacks.
Appears in 2 contracts
Sources: u.s. – Mexico – Canada Agreement, u.s. – Mexico – Canada Agreement