The CFRF in collaboration with University of Rhode Island Professor Tom Sprouls have begun a new project which seeks to assess the economic impact of fisheries within the state of Rhode Island. The project goal is to determine the total direct and indirect impact of fisheries within the state as well as identify opportunities for growth within the fishing industry.
To read more about the specifics of the project visit the project webpage.
On the evening of November 29th, CFRF was proud to host the members of our Black Sea Bass Research Fleet for the first project training session.
During the meeting, fleet members were formally introduced to project sampling protocols and equipment. Further, the Black Sea Bass Version of On Deck Data was unveiled and fleet members were familiarized.
The training session was immensely insightful as fleet members offered gear-type specific suggestions to help improve the Black Sea Bass Application to best fit their fishing. Input such as this has proved to be essential when working with representative from 6 different gear types!
For more information about the project visit the project webpage.
The CFRF in partnership with RI DEM, is launching a black sea bass research fleet with members of the RI fishing industry. The project involves fishermen collecting biological and effort data on black sea bass during routine fishing practices.
We would like to proudly welcome Todd Sutton, Kenneth Murgo, Tim Baker, Harry 'Trip' Whilden, Philip Merris, Mike Monteforte, Aaron Gewirtz, and Rick Bellavance to the black sea bass research fleet!
To read more about the project CLICK HERE
The CFRF, in partnership with RI DEM, is launching a Black Sea Bass Research Fleet in the Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic Bight region. The project will employ Rhode Island commercial and recreational fishermen, utilizing a variety of gear types, to collect biological and fishery data on black sea bass throughout the year. Data will be collected and transmitted using a specifically designed black sea bass sampling app on Android tablets. Research Fleet participants will sample black sea bass within their typical fishing grounds throughout the year. For more information about the project CLICK HERE.
CFRF is currently soliciting fishermen to participate in the Black Sea Bass Research Fleet. Applicants must hail out of Rhode Island and regularly interact with black sea bass throughout the fishing year (either as targeted catch or bycatch). Eight fishermen will be selected to participate in the Research Fleet, based upon areas and times of year fished, frequency of interaction with black sea bass, experience with cooperative research, and gear type. For more information about participant responsibilities and sampling protocols CLICK HERE.
If you would like to apply to participate in the Black Sea Bass Research Fleet, please fill out the application and submit to CFRF either via email, fax or mail to CFRF. To download the vessel application, CLICK HERE.
The deadline for applications is Friday, September 23, 2016.
CFRF BLACK SEA BASS RESEARCH FLEET: On September 1st., the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM), will launch a one-year pilot project to develop a cost-effective method to collect critically needed fishery dependent data on black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in the Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic Bight region. The project will be approached collaboratively by a team of commercial and recreational fishermen and fisheries scientists and managers, and will involve eight months of black sea bass catch and discard characterization from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. The Black Sea Bass Research Fleet will involve eight fishing vessels from a variety of gear types, including trawl, lobster/crab trap, gillnet, and hook and line, in collecting biological black sea bass data as part of routine fishing practices. Participant fishermen will use a specialized tablet app to efficiently and accurately record biological information about black sea bass catch and bycatch throughout the year. The results from the proposed project will help to fill existing data gaps for the northern Atlantic black sea bass, which is an essential first step in developing a management plan that reflects the current state of the black sea bass resource.
The CFRF will be soliciting applications from fishing vessels based in Rhode Island to participate in the Black Sea Bass Research Fleet in September 2016. More information about the project, including application materials, will be available on the CFRF Black Sea Bass Research Fleet webpage.
The CFRF looks forward to getting the Black Sea Bass Research Fleet up and running!
The CFRF, in partnership with RWU and RI DEM, is launching a Quahog Research Fleet in Narragansett Bay. The project involves commercial shellfishermen in collecting biological quahog data via bullraking sampling as part of routine fishing practices. Project data will be used to supplement the RI DEM hydraulic dredge survey, ultimately providing more robust data for the quahog stock assessment.
On August 10th, the CFRF held the first training session for the Quahog Research Fleet. We are proud to welcome Bo Christensen, David Ghigliotty, Gerry Schey, Jarrod Goulart, and Ernest Wilcox to our fleet!
At the training session, fleet participants had a a chance to practice using the specialized tablet app (On Deck Data) and to get comfortable with the equipment and work flow. Everyone was very engaged and had great suggestions. We look forward to working with our fleet as they get up and running on September 1st! A huge thank you to our collaborators Dale Leavitt at Roger Williams University, and Conor McManus at RI DEM for their contributions to this project.
For more information about the Quahog Research Fleet, please visit: http://www.cfrfoundation.org/quahog-research-fleet/ .
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) launched the Shelf Research Project in October 2014. A fleet of nine fishing vessels have been collecting oceanographic data from across the continental shelf, using Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth instruments (CTDs) to conduct water column profiles.
Today we are pleased to announce that our fleet has collected over 200 profiles! We at CFRF and our partners at WHOI appreciate the hard work of our fleet to collect this data.
For more information please check out our project page: http://www.cfrfoundation.org/shelf-research-fleet/
On July 21, 2016 some of Rhode Island’s finest chefs, including JWU alumni Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway and Matt Varga of Gracie’s, Providence, participated in “Chef’s Table: Rhode Island Seafood,” hosted by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) and Johnson and Wales University (JWU) at Hope & Main in Warren, R.I. The event provided a venue for fishermen and chefs to explore ways to maintain a healthy seafood industry in the state, increase Rhode Islander’s awareness about their own natural resources, and enhance the use of local seafood on the menus of some of the state’s finest restaurants. On the menu was Spiny Dogfish, Conger Eel, Scup, Winter Skate, Butterfish, Striped Sea Robin, Jonah Crab, Whelk, Quahog, and Squid.
Rhode Island Public Radio's report on the event is available at http://ripr.org/post/sea-robin-anyone-chefs-get-acquainted-local-seafood . Happy eating!
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — July 21, 2016 — Some of Rhode Island’s finest chefs, including JWU alumni Derek Wagner of Nick’s on Broadway and Matt Varga of Gracie’s, Providence, will participate in “Chef’s Table: Rhode Island Seafood,” hosted by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) and Johnson & Wales University (JWU), on Thursday, July 21, 2016, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Hope & Main in Warren, R.I.
The event will encourage chefs to continue their efforts to utilize lesser known seafood species that are landed in Rhode Island, including: butterfish, sea robin, and skate. Dogfish, eel, fluke, hake, Jonah crab, monkfish, quahogs, scup, squid, tautog, and whelk will also be on the menu.
Anna Malek Mercer, Ph.D., executive director, CFRF, and local fishermen will join the chefs for an interactive event that will include discussions, seafood prep, cooking, and tastings. She notes, “Chef’s Table will provide a venue for fishermen and chefs to explore ways to maintain a healthy seafood industry in the state, increase Rhode Islander’s awareness about their own natural resources, and enhance the use of local seafood on the menus of some of the state’s finest restaurants.”
Johnson & Wales University Media Contact: Miriam Weinstein/JWU/ 401-598-1157 /miriam.weinstein@jwu.edu
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation seeks to hire a part-time Research Associate to assist with the implementation of collaborative research projects and general Foundation administration, beginning September 1, 2016. Please click HERE to find a description of the position and application instructions. The application deadline is August 1, 2016.
On June 16, 2016, the CFRF received the Outstanding Organization Award at the summer meeting of the Southern New England Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. CFRF Executive Director, Anna Malek Mercer, accepted the award on behalf of the the Foundation.
The Outstanding Organization Award was created in 1996 and recognizes academic, governmental, private, or tribal organizations for their current or historic advances in the stewardship of aquatic ecosystems, advancement of fisheries science, or service to the profession. Criteria for this award include exemplary activities to 1) protect, conserve or restore aquatic ecosystems, 2) improve sustainable recreational and commercial fishery opportunities, 3) develop new scientific methods, equipment, computer software, etc., 4) improve interactions of their organizations with aquatic resource user groups and the general public, or 5) enhance the status and visibility of the fisheries profession.
The CFRF is honored to have received this award and is deeply grateful to the many fishermen, scientists, and managers who have contributed to CFRF's work over the past decade.
Fishermen plying the waters off the southern New England coast have noticed significant changes in recent years. Though generations of commercial fishermen have made their livings on these highly productive waters, now, they say, they are experiencing the impacts of climate change.
"The water is warming up, and we see different species around than we used to," says Kevin Jones, captain of the F/V Heather Lynn, which operates out of Point Judith, Rhode Island.
To help understand the ongoing changes in their slice of the ocean, Jones and other fishermen in the region are now part of a fleet gathering much-needed climate data for scientists through a partnership with the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
"There has been a lack of consistent measurements in this region, particularly across the continental shelf south of Rhode Island," says Glen Gawarkiewicz, a physical oceanographer at WHOI and principal investigator on the project. "In order to understand the changes in ocean conditions and how those changes impact ecosystems and the people who depend on them, we need to collect more data, more often."
The Shelf Research Fleet Project began in 2014 with that goal in mind. The fleet is made up of commercial fishing vessels that are fishing in or transiting through the study area throughout the year.
"We're utilizing fishermen's time on the water and their knowledge of the ocean environment to develop an understanding of this highly dynamic area," says Anna Malek Mercer, research fleet director and CFRF executive director. "[The partnership is] unique both in terms of approach and in the data that's coming out."
As part of the project, Malek Mercer and others from CFRF trained captains and crew members in how to take weekly measurements using a Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) instrument. The data from the CTD is available in real-time to view onboard the fishing vessel using an iPad tablet. Along with the CTD data, the fishermen can also include notes on the tide, weather conditions, and fish species observed in the area. The data are then sent to researchers and are posted on a website that is accessible to the public.
Members of the fishing research fleet participate in workshops with WHOI scientists where they share their observations about fish movements in the study area, discuss the data collected, and help researchers interpret results.
"The fishermen's insights are really important," Gawarkiewicz says. "And one of best parts of this project has been in building relationships and communication with the commercial fishermen."
In addition to opening up communication between scientists and fishermen, the research fishing fleet approach is proving to be a cost-effective way to collect the needed oceanographic data.
"At-sea oceanographic sampling is very expensive, and we've been seeing a reduction in the number of research expeditions," Gawarkiewicz says. "The fishermen are already going out all the time in the areas we need data, and they're provided a stipend for their participation in the program. So it has really been a win-win situation."
Since data collection started in November 2014, results from more than 160 CTD casts have been logged. Scientists use the CTD data to assess the frequency, timing, and extent of intrusions of warm, salty water along the slope and Gulf Stream waters onto the continental shelf. Long-term, the data will help scientists better understand how changes in large scale forcing—including the position of the Jet Stream—affects annual temperature and salinity extremes, and cross-shelf exchange processes during periods of rapid change.
While the increase in data is crucial to the research, Gawarkiewicz says he has gotten so much more out of the collaboration.
"It's been a tremendously rewarding project to work on," he adds. "I've learned a lot about trust and about different ways of looking at things as a result of working on this project. It's made me more self critical about the problems that I'm working on. I want them to be relevant to society—both economically and culturally."
The pilot program, which was funded by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, will continue through October 2016. Both Gawarkiewicz and Malek Mercer say they hope to find additional funding to continue the collaborative program indefinitely.
"The Shelf Research Fleet embodies an approach to climate research that is extraordinarily valuable for all parties involved," says Malek Mercer. "Scientists benefit from access to fine-scale oceanographic data as well as decades of fishermen's observations. And fishermen benefit from a better understanding of the ecosystem that they rely upon for their livelihoods. Over the long term, these partnerships and data sources can help inform the sustainable management of our ocean ecosystems in the face of a changing climate."
The successful pilot program is highlighted in a new video produced by CFRF.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation is a non-profit, private research foundation founded and directed by members of the commercial fishing industry and other support businesses. Established in 2004, its primary mission is to support and conduct collaborative fisheries research that assists in the achievement of sustainable fisheries through the generation of better information and effective technologies. For more information, please visit www.cfrfoundation.org.
Related links:
CFRF - WHOI Shelf Research Fleet
http://www.cfrfoundation.org/shelf-research-fleet/
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
WHOI Scientists Receive $1 Million Grant from MacArthur Foundation http://www.whoi.edu/news-release/macarthur-coastal#sthash.fYOFUwR0.dpuf
Accelerated Warming of the Continental Shelf Off Northeast Coast http://www.whoi.edu/news-release/deep-warming#sthash.xn8maA3U.dpuf
The CFRF is pleased to announce the winner of the 2016 Scup Cookoff held Friday, May 6th at Johnson & Wales University: Grilled Scup Tacos by Amber Baden (pictured right).
Please join us for a public tasting of the winning dish at Dave's Marketplace in East Greenwich, Rhode Island (1000 Division St.) on Friday, May 13th from 2-4PM.
Recipe cards, fillet tutorials, Scup nutrition consultations, and samples of Grilled Scup Tacos will be available.
For more information, please visit: www.cfrfoundation.org/scup-marketing .
The CFRF, in partnership with RWU and RI DEM, is launching a Quahog Research Fleet in Narragansett Bay. The survey will involve commercial shellfishermen collecting biological quahog data via bullraking sampling and recording information using Android tablets. Biological data will be used to compare densities to other collection techniques and provide additional information for the quahog stock assessment.
CFRF is currently soliciting Narragansett Bay shellfishermen to join a quahog research fleet. To review the project CLICK HERE.
If you would like to apply to participate in the RI Quahog Research Fleet, please fill out the application and forward either via email, fax or mail to CFRF. To download the vessel application, CLICK HERE. To download the vessel briefing document, CLICK HERE.
Deadline for applications is: June 10, 2016.
The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) is proud to announce the successful completion of three major multi-year NOAA awards spanning the past seven years. The awards were issued through the National Marine Fisheries Service with the funding secured through efforts made by U.S. Senator Jack Reed (RI-D). The work completed under these awards focused on supporting collaborative fisheries research projects important to the sustainable management of fisheries resources in the southern New England region, and involved some 151 members of the commercial fishing industry, 108 researchers and students, and 25 fisheries managers from Rhode Island and across the region. Anna Malek Mercer, CFRF Executive Director, noted that “the projects that CFRF supported and conducted through these awards demonstrate the importance of implementing a collaborative approach to fisheries research to produce applicable results and build trust between the fishing industry, science community, and management system.”
During the seven years of work, the CFRF administered $5.8 million that supported over 30 research projects covering subjects such as conservation gear engineering, bycatch reduction, lobster settlement and recruitment, spiny dogfish stock dynamics, discard mortality estimation, fish habitat characterization, shellfish larval dynamics, industry based biological data collection, underutilized species processing, state fishery profiles, and supplementary trawl and trap surveys, among others. Fred Mattera, CFRF Vice President and owner of the Northeast Safety Training Company, noted that “CFRF has been extremely successful in conservation engineering research, establishing a rich dialogue between fishermen and gear experts that has resulted in a number of new tools to minimize bycatch and promote sustainability”.
All of the supported projects are prime examples of collaborative research, as each was carried out by teams of scientists and members of the fishing industry working together through all phases of research, from the development of the research idea, to the execution of research protocols, analysis and sharing of results, and application to management. The results of these projects were far reaching, with the Lobster and Jonah Crab Research Fleet contributing to the 2015 lobster stock assessment and development of the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan, quahog and whelk research projects feeding data into state stock assessments and guiding management efforts, the development and distribution of modified fishing gear to reduce bycatch and improve selectivity in the small mesh trawl and dredge fisheries, and the advancement of fish habitat characterization in an area slated for offshore wind energy development. David Spencer, CFRF President and owner of the F/V Nathaniel Lee out of Newport, RI, further remarked that “The CFRF played a critical role in facilitating discussions between fishermen and scientists to develop research ideas, and ultimately in carrying those ideas through to project completion and management application.”
The CFRF will continue working to implement a collaborative approach to fisheries research, engaging the commercial fishing industry in research to address key issues in science and management. For more information about the CFRF and the projects conducted as part of the multi-year NOAA awards, please visit www.cfrfoundation.org.
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Malek Mercer as Executive Director of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation effective immediately. Anna received a Bachelor of Science with a focus in marine biology from the University of New Hampshire in 2008 and a PhD in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography in 2015. Throughout her career, Anna has worked closely with the fishing industry to develop research projects, conduct field work, and communicate and apply results.
Over the past three years, Anna has spearheaded a variety of research projects for the CFRF, with the goal of expanding fishermen’s involvement with scientific data collection and application. Given her background in collaborative research, her knowledge of the scientific process, and her respect for the fishing community, the Board of Directors believes that Anna is uniquely suited to lead the CFRF as Executive Director. Upon acceptance of the position, Anna remarked: “I look forward to bringing a new energy to the CFRF's existing projects and to working with the Board to pursue new initiatives and partnerships. The world of collaborative fisheries research is certainly an exciting place to be and I am committed to ensuring that CFRF continues to be a leader in the field.” The CFRF welcomes you to contact Anna at amalek@cfrfoundation.org or (401) 515-4662.
