NOAA Fisheries, through a competitive grants program coordinated by the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commissions, is funding marine aquaculture pilot projects that focus on sustainable aquatic farming techniques and regional business practices to grow U.S. domestic seafood. The pilot projects focus on promising but less commercially developed technologies for finfish, shellfish, seaweed, and other relative newcomers to the domestic aquaculture industry. To date, $2.86M has been distributed or committed through five grant opportunities made available by NOAA and ASMFC.
In 2019, through the same Cooperative Agreement, NOAA and ASMFC used Congressional funds to support ongoing research for off-bottom shellfish production in coastal areas. The Eastern Oyster Breeding Consortium, led by Rutgers University, was selected with research goals to develop advanced tools for genome-based research and breeding that addresses regional shellfish breeding needs. To date, $3.6M has been distributed or committed through four funding opportunities to support this Consortium.
Following is a brief overview of the funded projects. For more information, contact either the specific principal investigators provided below or Lindsey Aubart , ASMFC Cooperative Projects Coordinator.
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