Unsupported Browser Detected

Internet Explorer lacks support for the features of this website. For the best experience, please use a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.

Greater Atlantic Research Set-Aside Program

Research Set-Aside Programs have a demonstrated track record for supporting applied research that informs fishery management decisions and supports sustainable fisheries.

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Larry Alade holding a goosefish with it's mouth open over blue bins.

Research Set-Aside (RSA) Programs are unique to federal fisheries in the Greater Atlantic Region. No Federal funds are provided to support the research. Instead, research funds are generated through the sale of set-aside allocations for quota managed or days-at-sea (DAS) managed fisheries. There are active grants under the Scallop and Monkfish RSA Programs. The Mid-Atlantic and Atlantic Herring RSA Programs do not have any active grants. 

The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils) set aside quota or DAS, which is awarded through a competitive grant process managed by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. Money generated by the sale of the awarded RSA quota or DAS fund the proposed research.

RSA projects are selected through a competitive grants process, with priorities established by the Councils. Solicitations for RSA proposals are posted at Grants.gov, and distributed widely through Councils' and other NOAA Fisheries public relations channels.

Image
Habcam Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Habcam optical survey vehicle aboard F/V Kathy Marie. Credit: Coonamessett Farm Foundation

Current Research Focus

Scallop research priorities

  • Industry-based resource surveys
  • Scallop resource enhancement
  • Scallop biology
  • Improving harvest yield and reducing bycatch
  • Impacts from offshore wind energy development

 

 

 

Image
Monkfish data storage tag application
Monkfish data storage tag application. Credit: University of New England

 

Monkfish research priorities

  • Development of alternative stock assessment models
  • Development of a standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) index
  • Life history and stock structure research
  • Gillnet and bottom trawl bycatch reduction
  • Monkfish market improvement research

 

News and Announcements

More Information

Recent News

Feature Story

Charting Vessel Owner Costs for Commercial Fishing in the Northeast

Feature Story ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Moored fishing vessels in a calm harbor.
Feature Story

NOAA Announces Confirmed Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2023

Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359 Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359
More News

Last updated by Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office on July 31, 2025