Saving Seafood

NSF awards $15M to launch New England Seafood Engine

July 15, 2026 — A new federally backed initiative aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood industry is bringing $15 million to New England, with commercial fishermen expected to play a central role in developing new technologies for the sector.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced July 14 that the NSF Seafood Engine in New England has been selected for funding through the agency’s Regional Innovation Engines program. Led by the Portsmouth, N.H.-based Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), the initiative brings together seafood industry leaders, researchers, government agencies and technology partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, including the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

According to the announcement, the project will receive $15 million over its first two years, with the potential to grow into a $160 million investment over the next decade as it builds a regional innovation hub focused on fisheries and aquaculture.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Preparing For The Future of Ocean Farming

January 11, 2019 — Chris Schillaci looked out at a sea of mostly plaid shirts, stuffed behind rows of cafeteria-style tables, who had come together after a day outside.

“You can make a living and stay on the Cape with an acre oyster grant,” the aquaculture specialist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries said.

The crowd of primarily oyster farmers looked back.

“Ok, maybe two acres,” he said with a smile.

Schillaci was speaking at an Ocean Farming Forum sponsored by SCORE of Cape Cod and the Islands, and the local office of the United States Department of Agriculture.

The idea? Bring farmers together to learn from one another and improve the industry. Much of the discussion revolved around the future of offshore shellfish and kelp farming, in deeper waters than most of the Cape’s traditional nearshore shellfish grants.

“Commercial fishing is a rapidly evolving business and Massachusetts has been a leader through old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity and an uncanny ability to adapt to a changing world,” said Melissa Sanderson of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, which co-hosted the event. “To stay at the forefront and grow small businesses and protect the ecosystem we all rely on, it’s vital to support current and new growers with technical, business, education and networking opportunities.”

Read the full story at CapeCod.com