Australia: Threatened and Migratory Species Fisheries Bycatch Mitigation Program

Deadline: 23-Jan-23

The Australian Government has announced the applications for the Threatened and Migratory Species Fisheries Bycatch Mitigation Program that is supporting the development and implementation of practical measures to support the marine environment and sustainable fisheries by avoiding and mitigating the bycatch of threatened and migratory species.

The Threatened and Migratory Species Fisheries Bycatch Mitigation Program (the program) will run over three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25. Commercial fishing bycatch is a key threat to over 100 threatened and/or migratory species protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Objective

• The objective of the program is to:
  • Support Australian commercial wild-catch fisheries become more sustainable by investing in practical solutions that aim to mitigate the bycatch of species listed as threatened and/or migratory under the EPBC Act.

Funding Information

• $50,000 to $500,000 covering up to 100% of eligible project expenditure.

Eligible Projects

• You must complete your project by 31 March 2025.
• Your project must:
  • Be located in Australia
  • Support on ground activities and actions to help mitigate the bycatch of species listed as threatened and/or migratory species under the EPBC Act which have interactions with Australian commercial wild-catch fisheries
  • Have at least $50,000 in eligible expenditure.

Outcomes

• The intended outcomes of the program are:
  • Improved conservation outcomes for threatened and/or migratory EPBC Act list species that interact with commercial wild-catch fisheries
  • Increased uptake of bycatch mitigation measures in Australian commercial wild-catch fisheries
  • Increased industry capacity and capability to reduce the bycatch of threatened and/or migratory EPBC Act listed species.

Eligibility Criteria

• Australian businesses and organisations who can help improve conservation outcomes for threatened and/or migratory listed species protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) that interact with commercial wild-catch fisheries.
• Eligible entities
  • You can apply if you have an Australian business number (ABN) and are one of the following entities:
    • An entity incorporated in Australia (this includes Indigenous organisations registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations)
    • A registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land council
    • An Australian local government agency or body
    • Partnership
    • Cooperative
    • Publicly funded research organisation.

Ineligible

• You can’t apply if you are:
  • An organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme- external site
  • An employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied- external site with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
  • An individual
  • An Australian State or Territory Government agency or body
  • A Rural Research and Development Corporation
  • A Regional Development Australia Committee
  • An unincorporated association
  • A trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
  • A member of the program’s Steering Committee.

For more information, visit Australian Government.