April 3, 2014 — Research projects in New England and the Mid-Atlantic are expected to receive nearly $5.6 million in federal funding, according to an announcement made today by NOAA Fisheries.
Under the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Programme, which is administered by NOAA Fisheries, funding will be made available to provide financial assistance for research and development projects that benefit the US fishing industry. Of these funds, $2.3 million would support projects to benefit the groundfish industry. Funding will be made available to projects following review by NOAA’s Office of Acquisition and Grants, which is expected to be completed shortly.
“Today’s announcement is great news for fishing communities in the Greater Atlantic Region,” said John Bullard, administrator, NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. “Many impressive proposals were submitted for these grants and the funds will support a wide-range of projects to help fishermen and the fishing industry. I’m pleased that so many of the selected projects were from partnerships of fishermen and scientists from this region.”
Of the proposals received nationally for this competition, more than half were submitted by fishermen and scientists from New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Ultimately 40 projects were selected from across the country and 21 of those were from the Northeast. New England and the Mid-Atlantic projects are expected to receive over half of the available Fiscal Year 2013 Saltonstall-Kennedy grant programme funds.
Read the full story at The Fish Site