2025 News 2025: SMAST researchers secure major funding to advance sustainable fisheries

Researchers at SMAST have secured significant new funding to advance science that supports sustainable fisheries and coastal economies.

Faculty at UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) have received a series of competitive research grants supporting projects that address some of the most pressing challenges facing modern fisheries. The awards fund work on innovative fishing technologies, climate-informed fisheries management, and collaborative scallop research programs that connect scientists with the commercial fishing industry.

SMAST Dean Kevin Stokesbury receives $550K grant from the Schmidt Family Foundation 

UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Professor and SMAST Dean Kevin Stokesbury received a research grant from the Schmidt Family Foundation and Marine Technology Partners to evaluate the Katchi Net System, an innovative, low-impact fishing technology, against traditional commercial trawls on U.S. fishing grounds. Developed to reduce bycatch and seafloor damage, the Katchi net uses cutting-edge sensors and design to improve sustainability in commercial fishing. Stokesbury and his team will test the net’s effectiveness in collaboration with industry partners, aiming to provide data that supports more responsible harvesting practices.

Stokesbury also secured research awards totaling $403K and $350K for video trawl surveys that use a trawl-net-mounted camera to identify fish as they enter the net. 

Gavin Fay receives two grants to analyze climate change effects and preparation 

Associate Professor Gavin Fay is co-principal investigator on a $1.7 million NSF grant led by Virginia Tech’s Holly Kindsvater. The project, DISES: Dynamics of Socio-environmental Factors Driving Resilience of Coastal Fisheries, explores how climate change, natural conditions, and human decisions affect the sustainability of coastal fisheries. UMass Dartmouth’s team will add social and economic drivers to fishery models to test how aligning fishing activity with stock abundance improves long-term outcomes for commercial and recreational fishers. Engagement with policymakers and underserved groups will help ensure practical, broadly applicable guidance for resilient coastal fisheries. 

Fay also secured a $345,395 grant from the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council to lead a pivotal project titled Developing Climate-ready Updates to the Essential Fish Habitat Source Documents in the Northeast. The project aims to update Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) source documents for federally managed species in the Northeast. These documents, which provide critical information on species' life histories and habitats, have not been revised since the mid-2000s. Fay's initiative will integrate the latest scientific data, including climate change impacts, to ensure that EFH designations and management decisions are informed by current, comprehensive science. This effort supports the development of climate-ready fisheries management practices across the region. 

Research Set-Aside (RSA) awards 

Through the Scallop RSA Program sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the New England Fishery Management Council “sets aside” scallop poundage to generate funds for scallop research projects. RSA awards provide funding for research and compensation for fishing industry partners who harvest the scallops. These programs support research that informs fishery management decisions, and foster collaboration between the fishing industry and scientific community, leading to more informed and effective management of scallop resources.  RSA projects funded in FY 2025 include: 

Adam Delargy 

• Project: Optical and Biological Sampling of the Sea Scallop Resource in the Gulf of Maine (RSA) 
• Amount: $248,005 

Changsheng Chen, Kevin Stokesbury, Pingguo He 

• Project: Assessing Cumulative Impact of Offshore Wind Energy Development on Sea Scallop Larval Transport and Settlement in Southern New England Waters (RSA) 
• Amount: $481,850 

Kevin Stokesbury 

• Project: Assessing the Temperature Tolerance of Atlantic Sea Scallop Early Life Stages (RSA) 
• Amount: $247,598