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Feature Articles
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Jan. 9 deadline for cooperative research planning letters
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This article is reprinted with permission of Commercial Fisheries News, the Northeast's fishing newspaper for over 30 years, ©2003 Compass Publications Inc. Commercial Fisheries News is published monthly; annual subscriptions are $21.95. To subscribe or request a sample issue: call (877) 263-4496; fax (207) 367-2490; e-mail (cfoster@fish-news.com); or click on the hot link.
DURHAM, NH - Fishermen and scientists have until Jan. 9 to submit planning letters for cooperative research projects to the Northeast Consortium in order to be considered for funding in 2002.
The consortium is looking for project proposals that involve commercial fishermen as research partners or use chartered commercial fishing vessels.
Recommended subject areas include fisheries, fisheries management, fishing gear technology, and/or coastal ocean processes in the Gulf of Maine and/or on Georges Bank.
Consortium representatives and advisers will sort through the planning letters and select projects they think have a chance to be funded. Applicants who clear that hurdle will then have until March 20 to submit full proposals. Final awards are expected to be announced by May 1.
While the planning letter deadline is coming up quick in early January, the consortium will consider full proposals not preceded by a planning letter as long as they are submitted by the March 20 deadline.
The Northeast Consortium is made up of the University of New Hampshire (UNH), the University of Maine, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
In 2001, the consortium awarded approximately $3.78 million for cooperative research projects. Those projects were announced last spring (see CFN June 2001 for details).
As much as $5 million is expected to be available for the current round of funding. The money must first come from Congress and will then go to the National Marine Fisheries Service. From there, it will go to the consortium, where it will be administered by UNH.
According to the fiscal year (FY) 2002 Request for Planning Letters and Full Proposals, the consortium was created to "encourage and fund effective, co-equal partnerships among commercial fishermen, researchers, and other stakeholders to become active participants in cooperative research and development of selective fishing gear technology."
The funding for cooperative research projects across the full range of awards will be split as follows: 25% for research and 75% for industry.
For more complete details on how to apply, visit the consortium web site at http://www.NortheastConsortium.org.
Help is available for hashing out and writing up research proposal ideas and connecting interested fishermen and researchers.
The Gulf of Maine Aquarium and the Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership both hosted cooperative research proposal writing workshops in November and December. For more information, call the aquarium's Laura Singer at (207) 772-2321 or the partnership's David Bergeron at (978) 282-4847 or toll-free at (888) 282-8816.
Referrals for one-on-one assistance are also available. Contact any of the following for more information.
- Rollie Barnaby, Northeast Consortium outreach coordinator; phone (603) 679-5616; fax (603) 679-8070; or e-mail rollie.barnably@unh.edu.
- Becky Clauss, Northeast Consortium project coordinator; phone (603) 862-4034; fax (603) 862-7006; or e-mail rclauss@christa.unh.edu.
- Craig Pendleton, North Atlantic Marine Alliance; phone (207) 284-5374 or toll-free (888) 320-4530; or e-mail nama@namanet.org. Or
- Dana Morse, Maine Sea Grant Program and University of Maine Cooperative Extension; phone (207) 563-3146, ext. 205; or e-mail Dana.Morse@maine.edu.
Scientists sometimes are looking for commercial fishing vessels and fishermen partners. You can register your vessel on the Internet at:
The MA Fishermen's Partnership held a workshop in New Bedford.
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