Bycatch Estimation Methodologies Used for the U.S. National Bycatch Report Database

Accounting for bycatch is necessary for the sustainable management of fisheries. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) published a U.S. National Bycatch Report (NBR) First Edition in 2011, which, among other things, documented bycatch estimates for all fisheries for which bycatch estimates were available as of 2005. The 2011 report included extensive documentation of bycatch estimation methods in use as of the late 2000s. However, bycatch estimation methodologies change and improve over time as new estimation models are developed and new monitoring programs are created. This report documents NBR estimation methods developed (or utilized or applied) by six NOAA Fisheries regional science centers and/or regional offices from 2005 to 2023.