Rhode Island

Electronic Monitoring Innovations in the New England Groundfish Fishery (MA, ME, NH, RI)
Support the implementation and advancement of electronic monitoring in the New England Groundfish fishery at an operational scale serving as a national example of the third party audit model. Project will reduce the cost of video review, increase fishermen compliance and reduce barriers to entry for interested fishermen through on-deck innovations and advances in artificial intelligence.
$275,437

Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Maximized Retention Electronic Monitoring the New England Groundfish Fishery (MA, ME, NH, RI)
Prepare the maximized retention electronic monitoring program for implementation in the New England groundfish fishery. Project will continue collecting data for fishing year 2021 with a focus on testing catch handling methods for high-volume fishing vessels and collaboratively identify and overcome steps necessary to implement this program through extensive outreach and stakeholder workshops.
$500,000

Harbor Light Software
Piloting a Rhode Island Volunteer Angler Reporting Application
Create a volunteer recreational angler logbook for use on tablets and smart phones to collect recreational data from the angling public and promote its usage among recreational anglers in Rhode Island. Project will explore innovative approaches to encourage and retain fishermen participation in the use of the software to report their fishing efforts, with input from the recreational fishing community in the design of the software and outreach activities to encourage its use.
$126,000

Manomet
Managing American Oystercatchers and Minimizing Coastal Engineering Impacts Along the Atlantic Coast (multiple states)
Coordinate the American oystercatcher recovery initiative, implement best management practices for disturbance and predation management along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast of Florida and develop long-term improvements in coastal engineering protocols to restore habitats critical to focal shorebird species. Project will support the goals of the Atlantic Flyway Business Plan by creating a framework for long-term protection, restoration and creation of shorebird habitat at key sites.
$189,999

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
Developing a Framework for Ropeless Fishing in New England (MA, ME, NH, RI)
Characterize the issues and challenges associated with the integration of on-call or ropeless fishing gear technology into New England fisheries. Project will evaluate the issues using semi-structured interviews and workshops with experts in the field, synthesize perspectives and analyze the technical, legal and socioeconomic challenges and opportunities to develop a set of recommendations for further work, including in situ testing and policy development.
$170,861

New England Marine Monitoring
Kept Catch Data from Electronic Monitoring in the New England Groundfish Fishery (MA, ME, NH, RI)
Develop machine learning tools that use existing electronic monitoring data to collect information on kept catch in the New England groundfish fishery through testing three catch monitoring approaches across a variety of vessels. Project will derive kept catch data useful for science and management from video already being collected in the New England audit and maximum retention electronic monitoring programs and explore how this impacts program costs.
$225,962

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Marine Fisheries
Marine Mammal Stranding Response in Rhode Island
Respond to marine mammal stranding events in Rhode Island. Project will gather information at stranding events including location, measurements and photo documentation, which will afford regional stranding organizations the information needed to determine necropsy options and the opportunity for additional data collection based on animal condition, location of stranding and available resources.
$25,545

University of Rhode Island
Creating a Dune and Habitat Restoration Plan for Green Hill Pond in the South Shore of Rhode Island
Survey and model a detailed design, cost estimations and permitting of an optimal nature-based dune restoration scenario and dredging of an adjacent pond in the Green Hill Pond area along the south shore of Rhode Island, specifically 1.5 miles of a barrier beach and 500 acres of coastal pond. Project will reduce the coastal flooding risk for the coastal communities around the pond and aim to restore and protect the habitats of the adjacent pond by improving water quality.
$129,191