August 30, 2023 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
NOAA Fisheries is soliciting proposals for the 2024 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The funding opportunity opened on August 23, 2023 and will close on October 23, 2023. The solicitation and administrative aspects of the funding opportunity are being handled by the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). All project proposals should support the New England Fishery Management Council’s scallop research priorities as shown in the table below and outlined in this report.
NEW THIS YEAR: As a result of changes recommended by the Council in June 2023 and subsequently approved by NOAA Fisheries, RSA proposals that support regional scallop surveys for stock assessment purposes and specification setting can be funded for up to four years covering 2024-2027. Regional survey proposals may be submitted for the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and/or the Mid-Atlantic area. The four-year opportunity does not apply to discrete, finescale surveys or other research priorities, which will continue to be funded under one-or-twoyear awards.
Multi-year regional survey applications must describe the research needs for each year of the proposed project period and demonstrate that a multi-year award is in alignment with the Council’s research priorities.