NARRAGANSETT – The University of Rhode Island’s Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation will receive $6.5 million in federal grants to research challenges facing the local commercial fishing industry and to reduce the threat to North Atlantic right whales from fishing equipment.
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., announced the funding, which involves two awards from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on Wednesday.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
“The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation deserves great credit for bringing together a broad range of stakeholders to develop practical solutions facing the fishing industry,” Reed said in a statement. “This federal funding will support Rhode Island’s fishing industry, a vital component of the local economy, by ensuring that fishermen have the research and tools to weather the current economic storm and flourish over the long term.”
The first grant, for $3.5 million, will be used to sponsor collaborative research among academics, industry representatives, and regulators to address challenges facing Southern New England fisheries, Reed said. It will also be used to improve conservation efforts and support student apprenticeships.
The second grant, for $3 million, will be used “to fund a whale rope exchange program for lobstermen who fish in Rhode Island waters and offshore areas to help them adopt innovative gear types that comply with federal regulations,” Reed’s office said.
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation was founded by a group of fishermen in 2003. It is separate from the Commercial Fisheries Center, an organization founded the following year and run by the state commercial fishermen’s associations in partnership with URI.
Additional information is available at CFRFoundation.org.
