



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.
NOAA Fisheries has selected 15 projects for 2022-2023 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 program in 1999. The council sets priorities, and NOAA Fisheries manages the competition and administers the program.
We expect to make final awards later this month.
The selected projects will investigate sea scallop research priorities developed by the council. NOAA Fisheries expects the awards to generate approximately $16.3 million. That includes $3.8 million to fund research, and $12.5 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside sea scallops. Six different institutions will lead projects, partnering with fishermen, fishing businesses, and non-profit fishery research organizations.
In the Northeast's program, researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries. No federal funds support the research. Instead, the program awards pounds of sea scallops from amounts “set-aside” annually for this purpose.
To allocate award amounts for 2022-2023, sea scallop price was projected to average $15/pound. One project will be awarded 2023 set-aside pounds. All of the other two-year projects will be awarded 2022 set-aside pounds
Institution: University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology
Principal Investigator: Kevin Stokesbury, Ph.D.
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/67,623 lb ($1,014,342)
Institution: University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth/School for Marine Science and Technology
Principal Investigator: Kevin Stokesbury, Ph.D.
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/19,833 lb ($297,502)
2 year award
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.
Principal Investigators: Tasha O’Hara, Luisa Garcia, Liese Siemann, Ph.D.
Collaborators: Jose Correia, Arnie DeMello, F/V Kathy Marie
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/215,358 lb ($3,230,366)
2 year award
Institution: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Principal Investigators: David Rudders, Ph.D., Sally Roman
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/45,233 lb ($678,501); 2023/47,057 lb ($705,859)
2 year award
Institution: Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance
Principal Investigator: Melissa Sanderson
Collaborators: Farrell Davis, Luisa Garcia, Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.;
Jason Amaru, Jared Bennett, Robert Dutra, Mark Leach, Jesse Rose, fishing industry partners
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/41,435 lb (621,529)
Institution: Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
Principal Investigators: N. David Bethoney, Ph.D., Carl Huntsberger
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/9,774 lb ($146,613)
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.
Principal Investigators: Farrell Davis, Luisa Garcia, Mary Conroy, Ryan Munnelly, Nathan Shivers
Collaborators: Ronald Smolowitz, Coonamessett Farm Inc.; Daniel Eilertsen, Nordic Inc.;
Joe Gilbert, Empire Fisheries; Brent Fulcher, Fulcher Seafoods; Ronnie Enoksen, Eastern Fisheries;
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/59,965 lb ($899,478)
2 year award
Institution: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Principal Investigators: David Rudders, Ph.D.
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/38,232 lb ($573,483)
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.
Principal Investigators: Liese Siemann, Ph.D., Samir Patel, Ph.D.
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/26,628 lb ($399,422)
2 year award
Institution: University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth/School for Marine Science and Technology
Principal Investigators: Changsheng Chen, Ph.D., Pingguo He, Ph.D., Liuzhi Zhao, Ph.D., Kevin Stokesbury, Ph.D.
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/91,161 lb ($1,367,419)
2 year award
Institution: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Principal Investigators: David Rudders, Ph.D., Jan McDowell, Ph.D.
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/77,800 lb ($1,166,995)
2 year award
Institution: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Principal Investigators: Rubao Ji, Ph.D., Matthew Long, Ph.D., Houshuo Jiang, Ph.D., Zhengchen Zang, Ph.D.
Collaborators: Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/166,667 lb ($2,500,000)
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.
Principal Investigators: Luisa M. Garcia, Liese Siemann, Ph.D., Farrell Davis, Natalie Jennings
Collaborators: Nordic Inc., Nordic Fisheries, Empire Fisheries, Kavanagh Fisheries, Cynbel Fisheries, Eastern Fisheries
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/93,383 lb (1,400,743)
Institution: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Principal Investigators: David Rudders, Ph.D., Sally Roman
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/19,136 lb ($287,033)
Institution: Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc.
Principal Investigators: Samir Patel, Ph.D., Liese Siemann, Ph.D.
Collaborators: Ronald Smolowitz, Coonamessett Farm, Inc.; Jim Gutowski, Viking Village Fisheries; Roxanna Smolowitz, DVM, Roger Williams University
Set Aside Year/Award: 2022/65,534 lb ($983,004)
Please contact Ryan Silva, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Cooperative Research Liaison.