The Greater Atlantic Regional Research Set-Aside Program – Twenty Years of Industry Funded Research.

Turner, Sara M., Ryan Silva, Alison Ferguson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

Research Set-Aside (RSA) programs are unique competitive grant programs supported by the federal government in the Greater Atlantic Region. Ongoing for twenty years, RSA programs have supported more than 200 projects researching Sea Scallops, Monkfish, Atlantic Herring, and various Mid-Atlantic species. Research funding is generated through the sale of set-aside allocations (as quota and/or days-at-sea) through partnerships between grant recipients and the fishing industry. Commercial fishing vessels that participate are given a portion of a projects’ allocation, and then provides the funds to the principal investigator for the project. The allocations are determined annually by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, and program management and oversight are provided by the NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Office. RSA program research priorities are updated for each solicitation to ensure that the funded projects meet management and assessment needs. This presentation will highlight the strengths of RSA programs in supporting research, the range of research topics supported by the programs, the findings resulting from the program that have helped inform management and improve stock assessments, and some RSA program challenges.