The selected projects will investigate monkfish research priorities developed by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. NOAA Fisheries expects the awards to generate approximately $300,000 to fund the research projects.
In the Monkfish Research Set-Aside program, researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries. No federal funds support the research. Instead, the program awards days at sea that are “set-aside” annually for use in compensation fishing to fund the program.
For more information about these awards and the Monkfish RSA Program, please contact Ryan Silva.
2023–2024 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Awards
| Institution | Project Title | Research Budget | Allocation (DAS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Suffolk County | Addressing Monkfish Management Needs by Developing a Standardized Catch per Unit Effort Time Series | $140,209 | 2023: 250 2024: 150 |
| Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Inc. | Incorporating Fishermen’s Knowledge into a Standardized Catch Per Unit Effort Index for the Commercial Monkfish Gillnet Fishery | $150,344 | 2023: 250 2024: 200 |
Both projects responded to one of the Councils’ highest monkfish research priorities: Research to develop a standardized catch per unit effort index for the commercial directed monkish gillnet fishery to be used for stock assessment purposes.
Due to the common goal for the projects and intended application of the research results, NOAA Fisheries and the grant recipients will coordinate closely to help ensure efforts are complementary, and likely to support monkfish stock assessments.
Grant Recipient: Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Suffolk County
Principal Investigators and Collaborators
Emerson Hasbrouck and Scott Curatolo-Wagemann, CCE; Patrick J. Sullivan, Ph.D., Cornell University; Suresh A. Sethi, Ph.D., Alaska Pacific University; Bonnie Brady, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.
Project Title
Addressing Monkfish Management Needs by Developing a Standardized Catch per Unit Effort Time Series.
Project Summary
This project will collect and analyze fishery dependent and independent data to inform the development and utilization of an integrated statistical estimation procedure that will determine a standardized Catch per Unit Effort time series. This can be used to estimate the relative abundance of the stock for improved monkfish stock assessment and management purposes.
Grant Recipient: Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Inc.
Principal Investigators and Collaborators
Melissa Sanderson and Aubrey Church, CCFA; Steven Cadrin, Ph.D., UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology
Project Title
Incorporating Fishermen’s Knowledge into a Standardized Catch Per Unit Effort Index for the Commercial Monkfish Gillnet Fishery.
Project Summary
This project seeks to develop standardized Catch per Unit Effort indices for the commercial directed monkfish gillnet fishery for use in stock assessments. Investigators will work collaboratively with the commercial monkfish fishing industry throughout the region to elicit expertise on monkfish Catch per Unit Effort, obtain fishery dependent data, and develop Catch per Unit Effort standardization for contribution to upcoming monkfish stock assessments.
