WASHINGTON– May 31, 2013 — The following was released by the office of Congressmen William Keating:
CONTACT:
Lauren Amendolara (Keating): 202-225-3111
Lacey Rose (Warren): 202-224-4543
Maura Hogan (Cowan): 202-224-4159
Congressman Bill Keating and Senators Elizabeth Warren and William “Mo” Cowan announce that fourteen projects involving more than 20 scallop and research vessels, including the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), Arnies Fisheries, Inc. and the Coonamessett Farm Foundation, will receive over $12.5 million in funding administered by NOAA Fisheries through 2013 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Awards.
According to NOAA, the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Awards are competitively awarded to projects dedicated to “the improvement of Atlantic sea scallop stock assessments, development of fishing gear to reduce bycatch and technologies to better sample and monitor sea scallop populations and their habitats.” The awards are self-funded through proceeds from portions of the annual sea scallop quota.
“I am happy to see this critical investment being returned to New England’s premier research institutions right here in Massachusetts, from SMAST to Coonamessett Farm Foundation to Arnies Fisheries in New Bedford,” said Rep. Keating. “Scallops are a vital product and component of the Commonwealth’s economy, as is evidenced by the $400 million industry operating out of the Port of New Bedford. The contributions of these institutions awarded and the partnerships they represent to groundbreaking fisheries research are immeasurable.”
"It's great that project grants have been awarded to these Massachusetts research institutions," said Senator Warren. "This unique and creative grant program supports critical research for the local scallop fishery, which is an important part of our economy here in the Commonwealth."
“This is a big win for industry research institutions in the Commonwealth,” said Senator Cowan. “The Atlantic sea scallops business is a large part of our state’s economy and this funding will help to support the innovative research that leads to the improvement and expansion of this thriving industry.”
"I want to thank Congressman Keating, and Senators Warren and Cowan for their steadfast support of high quality science designed to promote a sustainable fishery, and congratulate our UMass Dartmouth scientists, Kevin Stokesbury and Steve Cadrin, for their continued contribution to the understanding of this critical natural resource,” said Steve Lohrenz, Dean of the UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Sciences and Technology.
"With this strategic program, significant advances have been toward more rationale, ecosystem-based scallop fishery management,” said Ronald Zweig, President of the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. “This has been coupled concrete advances toward minimizing by-catch and gaining key and cutting edge knowledge about sea turtle behavior and natural history so as to curtail impacts from fishing upon them."
“Arnies Fisheries Inc and the industry vessels that support the scallop RSA projects are glad to continue to be given the opportunity to contribute to the science needed for successful management of the scallop fishery,” said Richard Taylor of HABCAM GROUP, Arnies Fisheries Research. “Industry participation in Cooperative Research has demonstrated the power of bringing together people from many disciplines in working toward solutions of fisheries related issues.”
The Full list of the FY13 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Projects:
(listing project, organization, principal investigator(s), and award amount)
1. Habitat Characterization and Sea Scallop Resource Enhancement Study in a Proposed Habitat Research Area
Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
Ronald Smolowitz, Kathryn Goetting, Daniel Ward (CFF); Kevin Stokesbury, Susan Inglis, Changsheng Chen (UMASS/SMAST)
$806,436
2. Understanding Impacts of the Sea Scallop Fishery on Loggerhead Sea Turtles through Satellite Tagging
Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Ronald Smolowitz
$404,592
3. Seasonal Bycatch Survey of the Georges Bank Scallop Fishery
Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Ronald Smolowitz, Kathryn Goetting, Carl Huntsberger (CFF); William DuPaul, Dave Rudders (VIMS); Kevin Stokesbury, Adam Barkley, Steve Cadrin, Susan Inglis, Katherine Thompson (UMASS/SMAST) Roxanna Smolowitz (Roger Williams University)
$2,522,307
4. Testing of Scallop Dredge Bag Design Changes For Flatfish Bycatch Reduction
Coonamessett Farm Foundation
Ronald Smolowitz
$995,712
5. Preventing Bycatch of Yellowtail Flounder in the Scallop Fishery
National Fisheries Institute
Thomas M. Grothues, Eleanor A. Bochenek, & Kenneth Roma
$338,931
6. Identifying Source Sink Dynamics in Sea Scallop Populations of the Northwest Atlantic
Northeastern University
Jonathan H. Grabowski, Bradley P. Harris, Steve V. Vollmer
$1,107,448
7. Scallop Fishery Bycatch Avoidance System
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – SMAST (UMASS/SMAST)
Steven X. Cadrin
$637,417
8. High-Resolution Video Survey of the Sea Scallop Resource in George’s Bank Closed Area II (South) and Delmarva
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – SMAST
Kevin D. E. Stokesbury
$866,849
9. Survey of Persistent Scallop Aggregations and an Examination of Their Influence on Recruitment Using the FVCOM Oceanographic Model
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – SMAST
Kevin D. E. Stokesbury, Changsheng Chen, Pingguo He, Bradley P. Harris
$993,844
10. Combined High-Resolution Video Survey and Biological Sampling Using a Modified Sled Dredge of the Sea Scallop Resource in Nantucket Lightship Access Area
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – SMAST
Kevin D. E. Stokesbury
$628,653
11. A Synoptic Survey of the Sea Scallop Resource in the Mid-Atlantic
Virginia Institute Of Marine Science (VIMS)
David B. Rudders
$1,592,471
12. An Assessment of Sea Scallop Abundance and Distribution in the Access Area of the Nantucket Lightship Closed Area
Virginia Institute Of Marine Science
David B. Rudders
$314,628
13. An Assessment of Sea Scallop Abundance and Distribution in the Northeast George’s Bank Area
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
David B. Rudders
$347,122
14. Optical Survey of Scallop Resource Areas: Closed Area I, Closed Area II HAPC, & Contiguous Areas
Arnies Fisheries, Inc.
Richard Taylor
$995,894