Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation Inc

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH INITIATIVE

"GROUNDLINE/EXCHANGE CONVERSION PLAN - 2009"

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH INITIATIVE

"SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH INITIATIVE - 2010"

THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO MAINTAIN SUPPORT OF THE BLACK SEA BASS RESEARCH FLEET, AS WELL AS INCREASE ITS IMPACT ON FISHERIES MANAGEMENT; WHICH MAY INCLUDE BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF VESSELS THAT COLLECT DATA, AND INCLUDING ADDITIONAL FISHERY, BIOLOGICAL, OR ENVIRONMENTAL DATA PARAMETERS. CFRF PROPOSES TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL BY SUPPORTING AND INCREASING THE BLACK SEA BASS RESEARCH FLEET ITSELF (BOTH IN NUMBER OF VESSELS AND TYPE OF DATA COLLECTED), MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING THE ON DECK DATA APPLICATION AND DATABASE TO BETTER SUPPORT THE FLEETS EVOLVING NEEDS, CONTINUING TO MANAGE HIGH VALUE DATA AND CONDUCTING REGULAR QUALITY ASSURANCE CHECKS, AND COMMUNICATING/SHARING DATA AND FINDINGS WITH THE SCIENTIFIC, MANAGEMENT, AND FISHING COMMUNITIES.

THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UTILIZE FISHERMEN'S KNOWLEDGE AND TIME TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND MITIGATE CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES WHILE CREATING NEW JOBS FOR FISHERMEN. THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES RESEARCH FOUNDATION (CFRF) WILL LEVERAGE AND GROW COOPERATIVE RESEARCH EFFORTS ON ISSUES AFFECTING FISHERMEN IN RHODE ISLAND AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. 1.) SHELF RESEARCH FLEET - CONTINUE AND MODERNIZE THE 6-VESSEL SHELF RESEARCH FLEET TO COLLECT OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND SALINITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE RAPID CHANGES CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING. SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND RAPID TEMPERATURE CHANGES WITH PREVIOUSLY UNCOMMON SPECIES IN ABUNDANCE 2.) JUVENILE BLACK SEA BASS MONITORING - TO CONDUCT A VENTLESS FISH POT SURVEY TARGETING JUVENILE BLACK SEA BASS EACH WINTER OF THE PROJECT TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH BLACK SEA BASS ARE OVERWINTERING IN STATE WATERS. 3.) AUTOMATIC SQUID JIG IMPLEMENTATION - HAS THE GOAL TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT A STRATEGY TO ESTABLISH AUTOMAT

SUPPORTING MANAGEMENT OF THE EMERGING JONAH CRAB FISHERY AND THE ICONIC LOBSTER FISHERY IN THE NORTHEAST USA ??? A COLLABORATIVE FISHING VESSEL RESEA

GOT DATA? A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING DATA NEEDS IN THE AMERICAN LOBSTER (HOMARUS AMERICANUS) AND JONAH CRAB (CANCER BOREALIS) FISHERIES

DEVELOPMENT OF A MARKETABLE SEAFOOD PRODUCT FROM SCUP (STENOTOMUS CHRYSOPS), AN ABUNDANT, LOW VALUE SPECIES IN THE NORTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC USA

THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO PILOT AUTOMATIC JIGGING MACHINERY FOR COMMERCIALLY HARVESTING SQUID IN U.S. ATLANTIC. THE METHODS TO ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES WILL INCLUDE: PROCURE AND INSTALL COMMERCIAL SQUID JIG MACHINERY ON ONE DAY BOAT FISHING VESSEL AND ONE TRIP BOAT FISHING VESSEL BASED OUT OF RHODE ISLAND, TRAIN CREW AND OPERATIONALIZE AUTOMATIC SQUID JIGGING EQUIPMENT ON THE TWO SELECTED FISHING VESSELS, CONDUCT AT-SEA COMMERCIAL SQUID JIGGING TRIALS AND ASSESS BYCATCH RATES AND CATCH EFFICIENCY, DURING TWO FOUR-DAY TRIPS ON TRIP BOAT IN MAY/JUNE 2021, CONDUCT AT-SEA COMMERCIAL SQUID JIGGING TRIALS AND ASSESS THE BYCATCH RATES AND CATCH EFFICIENCY FOR EIGHT DAY TRIPS ON DAY BOAT IN JUNE/JULY 2021, TRACK THE COSTS OF SQUID JIG MACHINERY, MAN-HOURS REQUIRED FOR INSTALLATION, AND TRAINING REQUIRED FOR OPERATIONALIZING AN AUTOMATIC SQUID JIG DURING ALL AT-SEA GEAR TRIAL TRIPS AND DAYS, AND COMPARE THE BYCATCH RATES, CATCH EFFICIENCY, AND PRODUCT OUTPUT (POUNDS, SIZE SPECTRA, PRICE, QUALITY OF SQUID) OF AN AUTOMATIC SQUID JIG OPERATION AND SQUID TRAWL OPERATION. THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE VIABILITY OF A COMMERCIAL SQUID JIG FISHERY WOULD PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND FISHING INDUSTRY TO MINIMIZE IMPACTS ON BYCATCH SPECIES AND BENTHIC HABITAT.

CFRF'S LOBSTER AND JONAH CRAB RESEARCH FLEET: A COLLABORATIVE FISHING VESSEL APPROACH TO ADDRESSING DATA NEEDS FOR THE AMERICAN LOBSTER AND JONAH CRAB FISHERIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RECENT CHANGES IN SHELFBREAK EXCHANGE ON THE NORTHEAST SHELF: PROCESS-ORIENTED OBSERVATIONS OF SALINITY MAXIMUM INTRUSIONS

"THE RHODE ISLAND COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY - DEVELOPMENT OF A PROFILE"

RVA-OA2020: ASSESSING VULNERABILITY OF THE ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOP SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM IN THE NORTHEAST WATERS OF THE US

RBDG RURAL BUSINESS COOP RURAL ENTERPRISE GRANT

BUILDING ON A 2023 RSA PROJECTS POSITIVE RESULTS, THIS PROJECT WILL SEEK TO TEST IF MODIFIED DREDGE BAGS THAT INCORPORATE 4.25-INCH RINGS CAN AID IN REDUCING SMALL SCALLOP DISCARD MORTALITY IN AREAS OF MIXED SIZES AND IMPROVE SCALLOP CATCH EFFICIENCY IN AREAS OF HIGH SAND DOLLAR ABUNDANCE. THE PROJECT'S OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1) PAIRED TOWS TO COMPARE THE SCALLOP CATCH EFFICIENCY BETWEEN THE TRADITIONAL BAG DESIGN AND MODIFIED DESIGNS IN AREAS OF HIGH SMALL SCALLOP AND SAND DOLLAR ABUNDANCE AND 2.) COMMUNICATE FINDINGS WITH THE FISHING COMMUNITY.

EXPANSION IN SCOPE OF PREVIOUS PROJECT USING CAMERAS ON LAGC VESSELS TO PHOTOGRAPH SCALLOPS TO ANALYZE SCALLOP SHELL HEIGHT, GONAD MATURITY, AND SEX FROM THE IMAGES TO DETERMINE SHELL-HEIGHT MEAT-WEIGHT RATIOS AND REPRODUCTIVE STAGE TRACKING FOR SPECIFIC AREAS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO EXPAND VESSEL PARTICIPATION AND ADD CONFIDENCE TO THE REPRODUCTIVE DATA COLLECTED BY THE RESEARCH FLEET. PROJECT OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1. STRATEGICALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VESSELS USING DATA COLLECTION CAMERA SYSTEMS; 2. DATA COLLECTION IN HIGH-PRIORITY AREAS, INCLUDING THE NORTHERN GULF OF MAINE; 3. VALIDATE VISUAL GRADING OF SCALLOP GONAD MATURITY THROUGH HISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF GONAD TISSUES; 4. STRENGTHEN THE ANNOTATED IMAGE LIBRARY BY ANALYZING AND EXTRACTING BIOLOGICAL DATA FROM IMAGES OF INDIVIDUAL SCALLOPS AND CROSS-REFERENCING A SUBSAMPLE WITH HISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS; AND 5. EVALUATE THE VALUE OF THE DATA COLLECTED FOR SEA SCALLOP MANAGEMENT.

PURPOSE: THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO EXPAND THE UTILITY OF THE SCALLOP RESEARCH FLEET THROUGH THE MONITORING OF ACCESS AREA OPENINGS THROUGH TIME. TO DO THIS, WE WILL: 1. INDUCT LIMITED ACCESS (LA) VESSELS INTO THE RESEARCH FLEET, 2. ATTEMPT TO MONITOR AN ACCESS AREA THROUGH TIME WITH COORDINATED IMAGE-BASED SAMPLING, AND 3. EVALUATE THE VALUE OF THE DATA COLLECTED FOR SEA SCALLOP MANAGEMENT. MOST SCALLOP LANDINGS AND VALUE IN RECENT YEARS HAVE COME FROM ACCESS AREAS. MONITORING THESE AREAS AS A COMPONENT OF THE SCALLOP RESEARCH FLEET COULD FILL DATA GAPS RELATED TO SEASONAL CHANGES IN MEAT YIELD AND SPAWNING NEEDED TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE.

PURPOSE: THE APPLICANT PROPOSES TO FURTHER DEVELOP AND OPERATIONALIZE SCALLAPP, A SMARTPHONE APPLICATION DEVELOPED BY CFRF AND THE CENTER TO INCREASE AND ENHANCE FISHERY DEPENDENT DATA COLLECTION. SCALLAPP IS DESIGNED TO HELP STANDARDIZE AND COMMUNICATE FISHERY-DEPENDENT OBSERVATIONS OF SCALLOP DISEASES, MEAT QUALITY, AND REPRODUCTIVE STAGES. 2024: 14,145 LB @14/LB 2025: 14,106 LB @14/LB

THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF SMALL SCALLOP DISCARD MORTALITY IN AREAS OF MIXED SIZES AND IMPROVE SCALLOP CATCH EFFICIENCY IN AREAS OF HIGH SAND DOLLAR ABUNDANCE THROUGH MODIFICATIONS TO THE SCALLOP DREDGE BAG. ACTIVITIES WILL BUILD ON PRIOR RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUES ALREADY EMPLOYED BY FISHERMEN TO ALLOW SMALL SCALLOPS AND SAND DOLLARS TO PASS THROUGH THE BAG WHILE RETAINING LARGER SCALLOPS.

THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A FISHERY DEPENDENT BIOLOGICAL DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUAL SCALLOPS. BASED ON RESULTS FROM THE NEAR COMPLETE PILOT RESEARCH FLEET PROJECT THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS IS THROUGH AN IMAGE-BASED SYSTEM. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: 1. DEVISE OPTIMAL IMAGE-BASED SAMPLING METHODS; 2. COLLECT AT LEAST 2,000 INDIVIDUAL SCALLOP IMAGES DURING REGULAR LAGC FISHING TRIPS; 3. ANALYZE AND EXTRACT BIOLOGICAL DATA FROM IMAGES OF INDIVIDUAL SCALLOPS; 4. CREATE ANNOTATED IMAGE LIBRARY FOR FUTURE ALGORITHM TRAINING 5. COMMUNICATE FINDINGS THROUGH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.

THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO MONITOR BIOLOGICAL IMPACT (MEAT QUALITY, GROWTH AND REPRODUCTIVE POTENTIAL) TO THE ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOP AS A RESULT OF STRESS DURING AND AFTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES. TO ADDRESS THIS GOAL, WE WILL LEVERAGE THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES RESEARCH FOUNDATION'S EXISTING WIND FARM FISHERIES MONITORING SURVEY TO ESTABLISH A STANDARDIZED PROTOCOL TO DIRECTLY MONITOR BIOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE SEA SCALLOP. THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES ARE 1) ESTABLISH BASELINE BIOLOGICAL DATA IN THE SOUTH FORK WIND FARM DEVELOPMENT AREA AND 2) SET A PRECEDENT TO URGE THE WIND FARM COMPANIES TO INCLUDE THIS SAMPLING AS AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF THEIR MONITORING SURVEYS.

THIS PROJECT WILL PILOT THE RESEARCH FLEET APPROACH IN THE ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOP (PLACOPECTEN MAGELLANICUS) FISHERY. THE APPROACH ENGAGES AND UTILIZES FISHERMEN THROUGH THE COLLECTION OF MISSING DATA KEY TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF ANNUAL HARVEST ALLOCATION AND STOCK. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH THE SCALLOP INDUSTRY TO DEVELOP A COST AND TIME EFFECTIVE AT-SEA DATA COLLECTION PLATFORM AND SAMPLING PROTOCOLS TO ENABLE THE FLEET TO COLLECT BIOLOGICAL DATA FROM INDIVIDUAL SCALLOPS YEAR-ROUND. THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH FLEET, IF PRACTICAL FOR THIS FISHERY, IS TO OPERATE AS A FISHERY DEPENDENT SURVEY COLLECTING DATA IN A NEAR REAL TIME, TARGETED, SCIENTIFIC WAY TO SUPPORT FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND STOCK ASSESSMENT. THIS RESEARCH FLEET HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A LONG-TERM FISHERY DEPENDENT SURVEY TOOL.

THE PROPOSED PROJECT SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE FISHING EFFICIENCY AND FEASIBILITY OF USING THE N-VIRO DREDGE IN THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND LIMITED ACCESS GENERAL CATEGORY (LACG) AND LIMITED ACCESS (LA) SEA SCALLOP (PLACOPECTEN MAGELLANICUS) FISHERIES TO REDUCE BYCATCH, MINIMIZE HABITAT IMPACTS, AND IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE SCALLOP CATCH EFFICIENCY OF THE N-VIRO DREDGE THROUGH SCALABLE MODIFICATIONS AND TRIALS WITH LAGC VESSELS BEFORE TARGETING AN AREA WITH LARGE SCALLOPS AND COBBLE BOULDER SUBSTRATE WITH A LA VESSEL. SUCCESSFUL RESULTS COULD LEAD TO A TOOL FOR THE LA FISHERY TO ACCESS THE PRODUCTIVE NORTHERN EDGE OF CLOSED AREA II, OR OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE ARE LARGE HARVESTABLE SCALLOPS INTERMIXED WITH JUVENILE SCALLOPS THAT REQUIRE PROTECTION FROM HARVEST.

NO-COST EXTENSION (PRIOR APPROVAL WAIVED - RESEARCH)