2021-2022 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Projects Selected
Research set-aside programs are unique to Northeast federal fisheries. Grant recipients partner with the fishing industry to conduct research and to harvest their set-aside award, generating funds for the research.
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NOAA Fisheries has selected 13 projects for 2021-2022 awards through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. The selected projects focus on research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council, which established the Sea Scallop RSA Program in 1999. The council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.
NOAA Fisheries expects to make final awards later this month.
“The RSA program improves our scientific understanding of sea scallops and monkfish, which directly contributes to their sustainable management,” said Jon Hare, director of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Center scientists collect biological data about these species, assess stock condition, and evaluate and monitor fishery performance. The RSA program results are integral to this effort.
The selected projects will investigate sea scallop research priorities developed by the council. NOAA Fisheries expects the awards to generate approximately $12.5 million. That includes $3 million to fund research, and $9.5 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside sea scallops.
About the RSA Program
In the Northeast's RSA programs, researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries. No federal funds support the research. Instead, the programs award pounds of sea scallops from amounts “set-aside” annually for this purpose. There are active RSA programs for Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring, and monkfish.
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2021-2022 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Projects
To allocate award amounts, sea scallop price was assumed to be $12.50/lb
A Cooperative High Precision Dredge Survey to Assess the Mid-Atlantic Sea Scallop Resource Area in 2021 and 2022
Institution: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Principal Investigators: David Rudders, Ph.D., and Sally Roman
Collaborator: William Wells and Juan Araiza - Seaford Scallop Company
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/81,212 lb ($1,015,146); 2022/79,586 lb ($994,825)
Video Trawl Survey of Closed Area II
Institution: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth/School of Marine Science and Technology
Principal Investigator: Kevin Stokesbury, Ph.D.
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/98,642 lb ($1,233,019)
Understanding the Impacts of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery on Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
Principal Investigators: Samir Patel, Ph.D., and Liese Siemann, Ph.D.
Collaborators: Ronald Smolowitz,CFF; Jim Gutowski, Viking Village Fisheries; and Roxanna Smolowitz, DVM, Roger Williams University
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/63,913 lb ($798,908)
Artificial Light as a Tool to Reduce Bycatch in the Sea Scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, Dredge Fishery
Institution: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Principal Investigators: David Rudders, Ph.D., and Sally Roman
Collaborators: Tom Rossiter and Dan Watson, SafetyNet Technologies; Charlie Quinn, Owner, F/V Celtic; and Eric Enoksen, Nordic Fisheries
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/83,768 lb ($1,047,097); 2022/26,361 lb ($329,514)
Studying Seed Scallop Habitat Preferences Using Automated Detection Algorithms and Machine Learning
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Principal Investigators: Liese Siemann and Tasha O’Hara
Collaborators: Anthony Hoogs and Matthew Dawkins, Kitware
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/29,916 lb ($373,948); 2022/29,581 lb ($369,764)
Continued Testing Into How Cutting Bar Modifications Can Reduce Bycatch and Increase Catch Efficiency in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Dredge Fishery
Institution: National Fisheries Institute, Inc.
Principal Investigators: Jason Morson, Ph.D., and Eleanor Bochenek, Ph.D., Rutgers University; Douglas Zemeckis, Ph.D. ,Rutgers Cooperative Extension; and Geoffrey Cowles, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School of Marine Science and Technology
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/57,587 lb ($719,842)
Seasonal Survey for the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery on the Eastern Part of Georges Bank
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Principal Investigators: Luisa Garcia, Liese Siemann, and Farrell Davis
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/76,423 lb ($955,287)
Developing an Effective Foot Sweep to Reduce Flounder Bycatch in Scallop Dredges Using Computational Fluid Dynamics and Field Testing with Paired Dredges
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
Principal Investigators: Liese Siemann and Farrell Davis
Collaborators: Mike Pol, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries; Ronald Smolowitz, CFF; Tor Bendiksen, Reidar’s Manufacturing Inc.; Timothy Lenling, Dockside Repairs, Inc.; Ronnie Enoksen, Eastern Fisheries; Danny Eilertsen, Nordic Fisheries; and Sam Martin/Peter Hughes, Atlantic Cape Fisheries
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/38,049 lb ($475,616)
An Optical Survey for Scallop Density, Distribution, and Growth in Open-Bottom SAMS Areas of the Mid-Atlantic including Block Island, Long Island, New York Bight Nearshore, and Delmarva SAMS
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Principal Investigators: Tasha O’Hara, Liese Siemann, and Luisa Garcia
Collaborators: Jose Correia, Arnie DeMello, F/V Kathy Marie
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/30,855 lb ($385,684)
N-Viro Dredge Phase II - Increasing Scallop Catch Efficiency of a Low Bycatch, Low Habitat Impact, and Fuel-Efficient Scallop Dredge
Institution: Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF)
Principal Investigators: N. David Bethoney, Ph.D., and Michael Long, CFRF; Michael Marchetti, Owner/Operator, F/V Mister G; and Christopher Roebuck, Owner/Operator, F/V Karen Elizabeth and F/V Yankee Pride
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/38,866 lb ($485,830)
Broadscale Dropcam Survey of the Georges Bank Sea Scallop Resource
Institution: University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth/School of Marine Science and Technology
Principal Investigator: Kevin Stokesbury, Ph.D.
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/86,813 lb ($1,085,164); 2022/47,907 lb ($598,839)
Empowering Fishermen to Collect Essential data; Piloting the Research Fleet Approach in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Institution: Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
Principal Investigator: N. David Bethoney, Ph.D.
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/36,863 lb ($460,788)
Developing a Tool to Quantify the Impact of the Scallop Fishery on Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Principal Investigators: Liese Siemann and Samir Patel
Set-Aside Year/Award: 2021/28,314 lb ($353,928); 2022/8,168 lb ($102,096)
2021 Federal Sea Scallop Survey
The federal survey aboard the R/V Sharp is planned for June through early July. Mixed dredging and HabCam operations will cover Nantucket Lightship, southern flank of Georges Bank, Closed Area I, Great South Channel, northern edge of Georges Bank, and northern Closed Area II.
For More Information
Contact Cheryl Corbett, Cooperative Projects Coordinator