Partnerships for a Common Purpose: Cooperative Fisheries Research and Management

Lessons Learned: Making Cooperative Research Work

John W. Watson

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569858.ch24

NOAA Fisheries Service researchers, commercial fishers, fishery organizations, and university Sea Grant organizations have undertaken several cooperative fisheries research projects in the past two decades to develop new fishing gear designs and techniques that reduce the impact of commercial fishing operations on endangered and threatened sea turtle species. These projects have been very successful in developing fishing gear and fishing practice modifications that significantly reduce the impact of commercial fishing operations on sea turtles while maintaining acceptable harvesting efficiency for directed species. While these projects have been successful, they have not been without problems, but the lessons learned from these projects have been very beneficial in designing and implementing more effective research partnerships in recent years.