The Coonamessett Farm Foundation hosted Scallop Research Share Day, on Tuesday, in cooperation with the New England Fishery Management Council.
Melissa Sanderson, chief operating officer of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, was one of the presenters. Sanderson said the annual event is a chance to share research progress and results between scientists, fishermen, and fishery managers.
"And it really makes sure that we're all on the same page," Sanderson said. "That we're aware of other projects that we might be able to build upon or learn from. And sometimes it provides new opportunities to collaborate."
Researchers shared their works in progress as well as completed studies. They also discussed research tools, including a mobile app that can be used onboard fishing vessels and a polarized microscope used to identify bivalve larvae.
"The Scallop Research Set-Aside Program, also known as RSA, is unique to New England," Sanderson explained. "It converts pounds of scallops into research funding, to support scallop science and to provide data to hopefully improve fishery management decisions ... The researchers get awarded scallop pounds, and then they collaborate with fishermen to go catch those scallops. And part of the money that the fishermen receive for landing those scallops goes back to the researchers to fund the research."
New England’s sea scallop fishery has seen a sharp decline in harvestable animals in recent years.
