New Grants for Sustainable Fisheries Available Through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Fisheries Innovation Fund

​For Release October 7, 2013

(Washington, D.C.) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced the fourth round of grants available from its Fisheries Innovation Fund. The Fund, a public-private partnership, fosters the design and implementation of new and inventive ideas to ensure sustainable fisheries. For the fourth year, fisheries managers, fishermen, nonprofit organizations and others with a stake in America’s fisheries can apply for additional resources to put innovative fishing practices into action.

“For three years, the Fund has provided business assistance and technical advice to fishermen with practical ideas for improving fisheries sustainability,” said NFWF Executive Director and CEO Jeff Trandahl. “We are committed to supporting additional innovative projects that have positive impacts on fish stocks and on fishermen’s livelihoods around the country.”

NFWF’s Fisheries Innovation Fund, introduced in 2010, encourages the participation of fishermen and fishing communities in the implementation of sustainable fisheries in the U.S. It promotes the development of safer, more profitable fisheries that meet catch limits, reduce bycatch and eliminate overfishing. In its first three years, the Fund awarded over $5.5 million to 50 projects in the northeastern U.S., the Great Lakes, the mid-Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, Pacific coast and Alaska. In 2014, the Fund expects to award $1 million to approximately 12 projects across the country. Details on the Request for Proposals are available at www.nfwf.org/fisheriesfund.

The Fund is made possible through a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and additional support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. Potential applicants can learn more by logging on to http://publishing.nfwf.org/whatwedo/grants/applicants/Pages/home.aspx.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a leader in the conservation and restoration of the nation’s native fish and wildlife species and habitats. Created by Congress in 1984, NFWF matches public conservation dollars with private funds to meet pressing environmental needs. NFWF has a long and successful history of working with NOAA to establish public-private partnerships to support the agency’s conservation priorities.

####