July 11, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council approved several changes to the Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program when it met June 24-27, 2024 in Freeport, Maine. It also initiated Framework 39 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan and discussed survey and offshore wind activities.
SCALLOP RSA PROGRAM: The Scallop RSA Program, which began in 1999, supports 10-15 projects each year using 1.275 million pounds of scallops that are “set aside” during the specifications process to support research. The Council sets research priorities, while the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries administers the competitive grant process. Up to now, the Council has been approving RSA priorities on an annual basis. At the June meeting, building on a recommendation from its Scallop Committee and Scallop Advisory Panel, the Council agreed to set RSA priorities for two years at a time going forward. GARFO will continue to announce annual funding opportunities.
RSA priorities cover a wide scope and have changed little in recent years. Resource surveys routinely top the list as the highest priority. As action items, the Council:
• Approved RSA priorities for the next two grant cycles covering 2025-2026 and 2026- 2027 as listed in the table at right (GARFO’s Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 2025-2026 cycle is expected to come out in mid-July 2024);
• Approved updates to the Scallop RSA Program Policy outlined in the Council’s Operations Handbook; and
• Voted to ask NOAA Fisheries to allow scallop enhancement research to be funded for up to three years with an option for a one-year extension.
Additionally, based on action the Council and GARFO took in 2023, regional scallop surveys used for stock assessments and specification-setting can be funded for up to four years – with an option for a one-year extension for completing grant reports and data analysis. A breakdown of the RSA categories funded for the 2024-2025 cycle is shown in the table below.
The Council also received preliminary highlights from the 2024 RSA survey season, which showed some signs of recruitment on Stellwagen Bank in the Gulf of Maine, portions of Georges Bank, and selected areas of the Mid-Atlantic. Early 2024 fishery performance has been mixed, with catch rates on open bottom being the lowest in five years. More information can be found in this presentation