August 14, 2012 — NOAA Fisheries is now accepting applications for the 2013 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program. The deadline for applications is September 27, 2012 at 5:00 pm.
Research Set-Aside programs are unique to federal fisheries in the northeast. The program is managed by NOAA's Northeast Cooperative Research Program and landings and research priorities are developed through the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.
No federal funds are provided to support the research. Instead, funding is provided annually by the sale of Set-Aside allocations for quota managed or days-at-sea (DAS) managed fisheries.
Current RSAs include programs for Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring, monkfish, and mid-Atlantic multi species which includes Atlantic mackerel, black sea bass, bluefish, butterfish, Illex squid, Loligo squid, scup, summer flounder, and tilefish.
From 2000 through 2011, roughly $67.7 million worth of RSA allocations provided support for 119 research projects valued at approximately $19 million, and an estimated $47 million in RSA harvesting vessel compensation.
2013 Monkfish RSA Program Research Needs and Priorities:
Priority 1: Research on monkfish life history focusing on: (a) age and growth, (b) longevity, (c) reproduction, and (d) natural mortality.
Priority 2: Stock definition, stock movements, mixing, and migration through tagging studies, DNA markers, morphological characteristics and other means, focusing on: (a) short- and long-term movements, and (b) habitat use in relation to broad scale movements.
Priority 3: Research concerning trophic interactions of monkfish with other species and monkfish cannibalism.
Priority 4: Research concerning bycatch and discard mortality focusing on: (a) Target species (i.e., monkfish or Northeast multispecies), and (b) non-target species (i.e., monkfish or skate).
Priority 5: Trawl and gillnet gear studies focusing on: (a) size and/or species selectivity, and (b) bycatch reduction, including reducing bycatch of and interactions with protected species.