"The National Bycatch Report provides the first national compilation of bycatch estimates for living marine resources of the United States that are managed by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The NMFS has prepared this report to evaluate the extent to which reliable quantitative bycatch information exists for federally managed commercial fisheries and fisheries with relevant Federal data-collection programs. The report also documents bycatch estimates and bycatch estimation methods for all fisheries for which this information was available in 2005.1 In addition to reviewing the state of bycatch data and estimation, this report establishes a baseline for tracking changes in bycatch over time, and is designed to assist NMFS in meeting legislative mandates for bycatch reduction, guiding policy, and setting priorities"--Executive summary.

Public Domain