OCEAN SPRINGS, MS / ACCESSWIRE / February 29, 2024 / The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) has approved 8 new research projects for 2024, allocating $198,000 in applied research funding. These projects will allow the Center to continue its mission to produce innovative shellfish, finfish and wind energy-development data, in cooperation with its industry partners.
The projects will focus on how to best use shellfish hatcheries and new seeding methods to mitigate the potential impacts of offshore wind development; how best to develop standards to improve the sustainability of Gulf menhaden; developing new dredging techniques to better harvest surfclams and ocean quahogs; examining the reasons for variations in Atlantic surfclam size; studying the growth of Atlantic surfclams off the Delmarva peninsula of the US East Coast; and organizing an industry/science summit on longfin squid harvests and ecology, in conjunction with a developing Federal stock assessment.
SCEMFIS is part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program, which brings together marine science researchers with members of the fishing and wind energy industries, to identify and fund important fisheries research to reduce uncertainties around the sustainable use of the ocean environment. These projects are the last approved by the Center under its final year of Phase II NSF funding. SCEMFIS was recently reauthorized for NSF's Phase III funding, which allows the Center to expand its scope and continue its scientific mission for an additional 5 years, with the first funding cycle to begin in April 2024.
The following research projects were approved for 2024:
Hatchery and nursery siting to support Atlantic surfclam stock enhancement - The development of offshore wind farms off the US East Coast is expected to limit access to some Atlantic surfclam fishing grounds, potentially raising costs and reducing overall revenues for the fishery. This study, from Andrew Scheld at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, will examine the best ways to site new surfclam hatcheries in the Mid-Atlantic, to increase the availability of harvestable surfclams, and reduce any potential losses to the Atlantic surfclam fishery. ($19,730 in funding)
Design of a clam seeder for the planting of seed on the ocean floor - With the development of offshore Atlantic wind power, one proposed way to mitigate potential loss of Atlantic surfclam grounds is seeding grounds outside of wind lease areas with surfclams. This study will fund the design of a custom clam seeder to better disperse Atlantic surfclam seed in areas designated for stock enhancement. ($8,250 in funding)
Implementing a harvest control rule for the Gulf Menhaden fishery - As part of its Marine Stewardship Council sustainability certification, the Gulf menhaden fishery is required to have a harvest control rule, which ensures that the fishery is managed in a way that considers the ecological role of Gulf menhaden. This project, from Robert Leaf of the University of Southern Mississippi, will take several steps to ensure the fishery is in compliance with this requirement, including updating management dashboards with up-to-date data on the fishery, conducting simulation testing on potential alternative control rules, and working with regulators and fishery participants on implementing the control rule. ($43,651 in funding)
Why clam maximum size varies: a literature survey - A unique feature of Atlantic surfclams is that their maximum size is variable across regions, a feature that is important to understand for a fishery that harvests based on size limits. This study, from Eric Powell at the University of Southern Mississippi, Daphne Munroe and Sarah Borsetti at Rutgers University, and Roger Mann at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, will review the existing data and studies examining this variation, as well as consider how these differences could be affected by climate change. ($36,157 in funding)
Examination of density-dependent growth in Atlantic surfclam in the Delmarva region - Recently, Atlantic surfclam populations have expanded off the Delmarva area of the Mid-Atlantic. However, the surfclams there are on average smaller, which may be the result of increased density of surfclams in the area. This study, from Sarah Borsetti at Rutgers University, will use assessment reports, surveys, and other primary data to examine southern surfclam growth to determine if surfclam density is impacting growth. ($25,100 in funding)
Design of a dry dredge for collection of Surfclams and Ocean quahogs - Current Atlantic surfclam harvesting methods include the use of dredges, pumps, and hoses that, as a drawback, can blow sand into the meat of the surfclam. As a result, there is demand for a dredge system that does not use high-pressure water. This study will fund the design of a dry dredge to collect surfclams and ocean quahogs without having to use water. ($8,250 in funding)
Efficacy of a Novel Dredge Manifold and Varying Hose Sizes - This project, from Daphne Munroe at Rutgers University, is a continuation of a 2023 SCEMFIS-funded project to develop and test a new design for a dredge manifold for surfclam vessels. The project will test the design, which was developed with industry input, in real fishing scenarios on actual surfclam fishing grounds. ($13,112 in funding)
Develop, host, and report on a 2024 Longfin Inshore Squid Population Ecology and Fishery Summit - This project, from Dr. John Manderson at Open Ocean Research, would develop and host a summit in the spring of 2024 with fishermen and fishery researchers to discuss the upcoming stock assessment for Longfin inshore squid. The summit will bring together experts in the industry, academia, and government to discuss the upcoming research track assessment and other ongoing, collaborative research efforts. The summit will produce a working paper that will be provided to the assessment work group and to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. ($44,550 in funding)
About SCEMFIS
SCEMFIS utilizes academic and fisheries resources to address urgent scientific problems limiting sustainable fisheries. SCEMFIS develops methods, analytical and survey tools, datasets, and analytical approaches to improve sustainability of fisheries and reduce uncertainty in biomass estimates. SCEMFIS university partners, University of Southern Mississippi (lead institution), and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, are the academic sites. Collaborating scientists who provide specific expertise in finfish, shellfish, and marine mammal research, come from a wide range of academic institutions including Old Dominion University, Rutgers University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, University of Maryland, and University of Rhode Island.
The need for the diverse services that SCEMFIS can provide to industry continues to grow, which has prompted a steady increase in the number of fishing industry partners. These services include immediate access to science expertise for stock assessment issues, rapid response to research priorities, and representation on stock assessment working groups. Targeted research leads to improvements in data collection, survey design, analytical tools, assessment models, and other needs to reduce uncertainty in stock status and improve reference point goals.
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SOURCE: Science Center for Marine Fisheries
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