February 21, 2026 — The following was released by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation:
The Coonamessett Farm Foundation has released the final report for its
Evaluating the Key Factors that Influence the Efficacy of Transplanting to Supplement
Recruitment project. This report was submitted to NOAA Fisheries earlier this month and was
prepared under the 2022 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program continuing more than a
decade of collaborative, industry-based research. The report summarizes scallop transplanting
efforts and the results from an industry-funded project conducted under an Exempted Fishing
Permit in 2020 and 2021 to evaluate dispersal, growth, and mortality of transplanted sea scallops
while comparing transplanted individuals with scallops in natural beds. This research indicates
that transplanting sea scallops from high-density, growth-limited areas to more favorable
environments can produce meaningful biological and economic gains.
More information about the project and the full report is available here