Atlantic Herring Research Set-Aside Award to Focus on River Herring Catch Reduction

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council (Council), announce that one project has been selected for support through the 2019-2021 Atlantic Herring Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program.

The Research Set-Aside (RSA) Programs are unique to federal fisheries in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region.

Projects funded under the Atlantic Herring RSA Program must enhance the knowledge of Atlantic herring fishery resources or contribute to the body of information underlying Council management decisions.

The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), will continue a river herring shore-based sampling and avoidance program first supported under the Atlantic Herring RSA Program in 2014.

Through this award, the research team will sample midwater trawl trips landed in Massachusetts to enable a river herring avoidance program with the Atlantic herring midwater trawl fleet to reduce river herring catch, and inform portside sampling programs under development at NEFSC.

Proceeds from the sale of research quota pay for research costs and compensate fishing vessel owners that harvest RSA quota. Researchers do not receive federal funds to conduct the research under this program.

For more information about these awards and the Atlantic Herring RSA Program, please contact Ryan Silva ((978) 281-9326) or Cheryl Corbett.

To learn more about work funded through the Atlantic Herring RSA Program visit the RSA webpage.

*Values are for 2019 fishing year only. Future fishery specification actions will determine the 2020 and 2021 set-aside awards.