November 5, 2020 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries:
The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) is pleased to announce that the Atlantic Red Crab Company has become the latest company to join the Center’s Industry Advisory Board. With this new addition to our growing list of industry partners, the Center is ready to continue its record of collaborative fisheries research.
For the past 7 years, SCEMFIS has brought together leading academic researchers and members of the fishing industry to identify the most pressing needs in marine science research. With the support of its industry partners, SCEMFIS scientists have published innovate studies providing new understanding of finfsh and shellfish. In 2020 alone, the Center funded $191,000 in new research projects addressing these priorities.
“The Atlantic Red Crab Company has been involved in cooperative science for years, and sees this opportunity to join SCEMFIS as a way to leverage resources and gain a broader scientific perspective,” says Jon Williams, owner of the Atlantic Red Crab Company.
Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Atlantic Red Crab Company harvests red crab in the waters of the Northeast U.S. The red crab fishery is sustainably managed, and red crab is listed as a “good alternative” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.
“The Atlantic Red Crab Company is a great new addition to SCEMFIS,” said Greg DiDomenico, the Chair of SCEMFIS. “Their commitment to sustainability and collaborative research closely aligns with the Center’s mission.”
SCEMFIS, established in 2013, is one of the centers in the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program, which facilitates collaborative research between academia and industry. This year, SCEMFIS researchers have published studies on the economic impact of the squid and summer flounder fisheries; how the federal government did not properly consider the impact offshore wind development has on fisheries; the current state of the Atlantic menhaden stock; and ways to improve the management of gray seals and the fisheries that interact with them.
About SCEMFIS
SCEMFIS utilizes academic and fisheries resources to address urgent scientific problems limiting sustainable fisheries. SCEMFIS develops methods, analytical and survey tools, datasets, and analytical approaches to improve sustainability of fisheries and reduce uncertainty in biomass estimates. SCEMFIS university partners, University of Southern Mississippi (lead institution), and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, are the academic sites. Collaborating scientists who provide specific expertise in finfish, shellfish, and marine mammal research, come from a wide range of academic institutions including Old Dominion University, Rutgers University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, University of Maryland, and University of Rhode Island.
The need for the diverse services that SCEMFIS can provide to industry continues to grow, which has prompted a steady increase in the number of fishing industry partners. These services include immediate access to science expertise for stock assessment issues, rapid response to research priorities, and representation on stock assessment working groups. Targeted research leads to improvements in data collection, survey design, analytical tools, assessment models, and other needs to reduce uncertainty in stock status and improve reference point goals.