BIDDEFORD, Maine — April 01, 2014 — The University of New England will soon be investigating ways to create a culinary market for the spiny dogfish, an abundant shark in Maine and northeastern U.S. waters, with the potential for a multimillion-dollar boost to the economy.
The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Services Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program has funded a $245,000 grant for UNE to study Optimum Utilization of Spiny Dogfish, Squalus acanthias, through Industry Partnerships and Product Development and Marketing.
Principal investigators on the project are Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., chair of the UNE Department of Marine Sciences, and director of the Marine Science Center; Eric Brazer, Deputy Director, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance; and Nancy Civetta of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermens Alliance.
Costa-Pierce says, Maines marine economy presents outstanding opportunities for growth. Spiny dogfish populations have successfully rebounded, but it is still an underappreciated species and fisherman discard millions of pounds of these fish each year. Working collaboratively with scientists, fishermen, consumers, chefs and seafood processors, we plan to develop sophisticated science-based information and change peoples perceptions to help create a vibrant market for this versatile fish.