NMFS 2019-2021 Atlantic Herring Research Set Aside Grant

NMFS, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council (Council), is soliciting Atlantic Herring (herring) research to utilize quota set aside by the Council to fund herring research endeavors through the 2019-2021 Herring RSA Program.  No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification.  Rather, proceeds generated from the sale of RSA quota will be used to fund research activities and/or harvest set-aside quota.

Projects funded under the Atlantic Herring RSA Program must enhance the knowledge of Atlantic herring fishery resources or contribute to the body of information on which Council management decisions are made.  Priority will be given to herring research proposals that investigate research priorities identified by the Council, which are detailed under the Program Priorities section of this announcement.

Applicants should be familiar with herring RSA compensation fishing, the mechanism by which herring RSA quota is harvested and used to fund research.  Herring RSA compensation fishing involves inherent uncertainty that can affect the ability to generate funds.  In recent years, only a portion of the herring set-aside quota has been harvested, which has limited the ability of grant recipients to generate funds needed to conduct the scope of their proposed research.  As such, applicants are encouraged to consider projects that can be scaled, in the event compensation fishing is limited.  For more information about herring RSA compensation fishing, prospective applicants should refer to Agency Contacts listed under this notice.