June 7, 2016 — Cape Ann has been shut out this year from sharing any of the $11 million NOAA said it will distribute as part of the Saltonstall-Kennedy grant program.
Neither of the area’s two applicants — the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund (GFCPF) and the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI) — were among the 50 applicants the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommended for funding.
The recommendations are not absolute guarantees for receiving funding, according to NOAA. Final approval is subject to funding availability and a final review and approval by NOAA’s grants management division and the Department of Commerce’s financial assistance law division.
“It’s disappointing because we believe we had a great proposal,” GMGI Executive Director Chris Munkholm said.
The GMGI proposal was to use genetic-based testing to better classify the cod populations from various fisheries, Munkholm said.
“We believe this will help lead to developing the innovative technology that will be the future for classifying all species of fish,” she said.