CFRF Summer 2026 Internship Opportunity

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation is pleased to offer a part-time, paid summer internship for an undergraduate or graduate student or recent graduate.

This internship is offered from May through August 2026 with flexible start and end dates. The selected intern will receive at least $18/hour for 20 hours a week.

Visit the internship page to learn more and apply!

Applications are due March 27th.

Learn more and apply!

New Paper: Testing the N-Viro Scallop Dredge

We are excited to share our newest research paper on the results of our project to test the ability of the N-Viro dredge to reduce bycatch and increase fuel efficiency in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. Scroll through the images below for a summary, or read the full paper here!

This paper is published in the Journal of Shellfish Research. If you do not have access through the link below, please email us to request a copy.

NEW Fisheries Workshop For Students!

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation is dedicated to increasing awareness of fisheries topics, educating others about our research, and training the next generation of fisheries scientists through outreach and education initiatives.

We are proud to launch our free, by-request workshop to introduce students to fisheries science and provide resources for students interested in pursuing an impact-driven, community-oriented career in science.

Formal and Informal Educators: Learn how you can request a workshop for your students here!

Pilot Project: Uniting Knowledge from Fishing Communities and Offshore Wind Developers to Improve Boulder Relocation Practices

We recently completed a pilot project to implement a plan to improve boulder relocation practices during offshore wind development. Read below to learn what we did and what we learned!

background

Offshore wind energy development often requires the relocation of large boulders to provide scour protection, stabilize turbine foundations, and clear routes for cables. Relocated boulders can pose safety risks to fishermen by creating new 'hangs' in which gear may become caught, as well as potentially affect the habitat structure and fish communities in established fishing grounds. In April 2025, we co-hosted an event focused on these issues with Rhode Island Sea Grant, the University of Rhode Island, and the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (CFCRI).

In response to the feedback from stakeholders at the event, we collaborated with CFCRI on a pilot project to identify relocated boulders that pose fishing hazards in the Revolution Wind Farm lease area and demonstrate a simple and effective path for future applications to reduce the negative impacts of boulder relocation on fishing.

methods and results

Construction of the Revolution Wind Farm resulted in nearly 2,800 boulders being relocated. We interviewed mobile gear fishermen who historically fished within this wind farm lease area and used the information gathered to map previously towable fishing grounds within the Revolution Wind Farm. We found that only five of the relocated boulders were within these fishing areas (click map to enlarge). 

These problematic boulders represent <1% of the nearly 2,800 relocated boulders, which indicates the issue of boulder relocation as it relates to fishing safety may be relatively easily overcome. In the future, this project’s approach could be conducted during relocation planning to identify boulders that need to be relocated strategically outside of towable fishing areas. This approach could minimize direct impacts on fishing vessel safety and contribute to a more positive and collaborative working relationship between offshore wind developers and fishermen. 

Read the summary report of this pilot project here. This project was funded by The Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island with support from Orsted.

NEW: CFRF Charity License Plate

Something fishy is coming to Rhode Island vehicles

It’s time to put Rhode Island Seafood on your plate!

We are excited to debut a brand new charity license plate for Rhode Islanders that supports research on the fresh, local, and sustainable seafood species our state is known for! The plate, designed by Andrew Lloyd Goodman, Assistant Professor at the Community College of Rhode Island, features eight iconic seafood species that are sustainably harvested in Rhode Island state waters and enjoyed throughout the state, region, and world.

License plates are available for pre-order* now! Each license plate costs $42.50, with $20 going directly to the CFRF. Proceeds from the license plate will directly support research focused on enhancing the sustainability and value of Rhode Island state fisheries.

Learn More and pre-order your plate today!

Black Sea Bass Research Fleet Update - October 2024

We had a great time hosting US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for some black sea bass fishing and sampling to celebrate his help in securing funding to continue our Black Sea Bass Research Fleet project! 🎣

We were joined by long-time project collaborator Jason McNamee of RIDEM and spent the morning on one of our Research Fleet participant vessels, the F/V Priority Too. We had a beautiful day on the water and collected data on 100 black sea bass for the project! Thanks again to Senator Whitehouse and his staff to ensuring this data collection will continue until at least 2030! Check out the video below for a recap of our day!

New Publication: Anticipating the winds of change

We are excited to share our newest research paper, led by Dr. Kevin Stokesbury at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, titled "Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates."

Click here for a summary of the paper.

The full paper can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fog.12693

Announcing the Norbert Stamps SNEC Science Meeting Student Travel Award

We are proud to announce a new travel award to support a student to attend and present at the Southern New England Chapter (SNEC) of the American Fisheries Society Science Meetings. To fulfill our education mission, the CFRF supports research that involves students and the fishing community. This award provides $500 to facilitate the presentation of this type of research at the SNEC Summer Science Meeting by a deserving graduate or undergraduate student.

The 2024 SNEC Summer Science Meeting is on June 11th, 2024, at the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus. Learn more here.

Qualifications and Application Instructions

Qualifications

  • Student Member of SNEC

  • Oral or poster presentation of research at SNEC Summer Science Meeting

    • Payment will be made after meeting attendance unless a candidate expresses the need for the funds in advance to attend the meeting.  

  • Have not previously received this award

Application Instructions
Applications for the award should be submitted via email by May 31st to the SNEC Education Committee Chair, Tracy Maynard, at Tracy.Maynard@KleinschmidtGroup.com. Please include in your application:

  1. Contact information

  2. Presentation or Poster Abstract, following the SNEC guidelines

  3. A brief statement of qualification 

  4. A letter of support from an academic advisor or supervisor

A committee of CFRF and SNEC Education Committee members will review applications and select the award recipient. 

About Norbert Stamps

We are proud to dedicate this award to Norbert Stamps. Norbert Stamps was an incredible captain and a strong advocate of collaborative research. He loved meeting new people, making connections, finding common ground, and especially making people laugh. He was Vice President of the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association and a long-time Board member of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation. He was a founding member of the Research Foundation’s Lobster-Jonah Crab and Shelf Research Fleets. This award captures Norbert’s memory by giving a student engaging in collaborative research a chance to make new connections.

Scientist at Sea: A Day in the Life on the Revolution and Sunrise Wind Trawl Survey

Welcome to the first post in our new series, Scientists at Sea! This series aims to give you a glimpse into what it is like to work as a fisheries scientist collecting data on commercial fishing vessels! In this video, follow along with Research Biologist Lizzy Soranno as she takes you through a typical day on the Revolution and Sunrise Wind Trawl Survey in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology aboard the F/V Heather Lynn! Learn more about this survey here.

New Publication: Lobster and Jonah Crab Research Fleet

We are thrilled to share our newest research paper, which used data collected by the Lobster and Jonah Crab Research Fleet. This paper is published in the Marine and Coastal Fisheries October issue, and our image is proudly displayed on the cover!

Click here for a summary of the paper.

The full paper can be found here: https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mcf2.10266

New Publication on the Shelf Research Fleet and Salinity Max Intrusions Projects!

Check out our newest publication, “Integrating fishers’ knowledge with oceanographic observations to understand changing ocean conditions in the Northeast United States” which was recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science! This paper was led by Noelle Olsen and includes data from our Shelf Research Fleet and Salinity Maximum Intrusions projects.

The full paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1144178.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Sea Scallop Fishermen

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center are seeking commercial scallop fishermen to test a sea scallop data collection app. This app aims to collect data on the distribution and prevalence of scallop diseases and assess reproductive condition year-round. This data will help fishermen inform management in a changing environment. Click HERE to apply.

Apply By: January 25, 2023