June 29, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council voted during its late-June meeting to ask the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) to modify the Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program to allow for longer-term RSA awards for regional survey work.
More specifically, the Council’s request was to “allow regional scallop surveys used for stock assessments and specification setting to be funded for up to four years, with an option for a one-year extension for completing grant reports and data analysis.”
The proposed changes stem from recommendations made by the Council’s Scallop Survey Working Groupand through the 2019 RSA Program Review.
In an April 12, 2023 letter, NOAA Fisheries confirmed it could consider RSA awards of up to five years but typically limits awards to four years as a “best practice.”