The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) focuses on the conservation and restoration of the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats. It aims to address critical ecological challenges by fostering partnerships that advance conservation outcomes. NFWF's mission encompasses a commitment to protect and enhance the resilience of natural habitats and communities against environmental threats through strategic conservation efforts.
The New England Gear Innovation Fund, under the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, aims to promote the development and adoption of innovative fishing gear technologies. These technologies are intended to significantly reduce the risk of lethal or sub-lethal entanglements of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW) in fixed gear fisheries across New England. With a potential $18 million in grants available, this fund seeks applications that propose viable, innovative solutions to modify fishing gear, notably to eliminate or substantially reduce the vertical buoy lines used in lobster and other pot/trap fisheries that pose entanglement risks to marine species including the NARW. The program encourages the development of an interoperable system for deploying and locating gear without these lines, which is meant to allow for the coexistence of sustainable fisheries with marine wildlife conservation. This effort is closely aligned with the conservation of the NARW, aiming to address one of the human-induced threats to its survival. The program, in partnership with NOAA and supported by congressional appropriations, represents a critical step towards mitigating the impacts of fishing on endangered species while supporting the economic and cultural fabric of New England's coastal communities.