WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to bolster the commercial fishing industry in Southern New England and help support local Rhode Island fishermen, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), located at the University of Rhode Island, will receive a total of $6.5 million in federal funding through two awards from the Department of Commerce's (DOC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). CFRF will receive $3.5 million to engage in research and outreach activities designed to help local fishermen address the challenges facing the industry. The Foundation will also receive $3 million to administer a whale rope exchange program for lobstermen.

"The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation deserves great credit for bringing together a broad range of stakeholders to develop practical solutions facing the fishing industry. This federal funding will support Rhode Island's fishing industry, a vital component of the local economy, by ensuring that fishermen have the research and tools to weather the current economic storm and flourish over the long term," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that provides federal funding for NOAA programs. Much of the funding being awarded today was part of $10 million fund that Reed secured in legislation enacted earlier this year to assist New England fisheries and fishermen. "I am particularly pleased to have helped secure funding for the whale rope exchange program. Our fisherman value the environment, and we need to help make certain Rhode Island lobstermen are not overburdened in complying with new gear regulations."

CFRF will receive $3.5 million to sponsor collaborative research among academics, industry representatives, and regulators to address challenges facing Southern New England fisheries. This funding will also improve conservation measures, focusing on the development of new gear to reduce bycatch of Southern New England Winter Flounder, and it will support student assistantships to prepare a new generation of fishery scientists.

The Foundation will also receive $3 million to administer a whale rope exchange program for lobstermen who fish in Rhode Island waters and offshore areas to help them adopt innovative gear types that comply with federal regulations. Under the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, fishermen must convert from floating to sinking groundline to reduce the likelihood of entanglement for large whales, such as the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. CFRF will be working over the next few weeks to finalize the process by which fishermen can apply for funding under the program.

CFRF is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting research that assists in the achievement of sustainable fisheries through the generation of better information and effective technologies for the benefit of individuals and businesses dependent on commercial fishing, consumers of seafood, and the public good. It was founded in 2003 by a group of fishermen in order to establish an alternative process for conducting collaborative research in Southern New England.