A 鈥渢hird eye鈥� camera for groundfishermen and autonomous robots for lobstermen. That鈥檚, in part, what a group of New England commercial fishing advocates, oceanographic researchers and tech companies hope to build with a $15 million federal grant.
The goal of the U.S. National Science Foundation funding, , is to help commercial fishermen catch better, healthier fish and bolster the region鈥檚 seafood industry from harvest to processing.
Researchers will use some of the money to further develop a camera system that allows captains and crews to see what鈥檚 swimming into their nets, before it is hauled onto the deck. The innovation could mean the difference between a net full of 鈥� fish that crews don鈥檛 want, because they鈥檙e heavily regulated, or can鈥檛 keep 鈥� and a harvest that makes money.
Other parts of the federal grant will be spent to develop autonomous robots to detect environmental conditions underwater that could lead to bringing up traps filled with dead lobsters.
The awardees also plan to use the money to figure out how to strengthen the processing side of the seafood industry, said Jake Kritzer, executive director for the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems 鈥� the organization leading the group awarded the grant 鈥� in an interview with The Light.
Robots and a 鈥榯hird eye鈥� for commercial fishing
Figuring out what exactly is swimming into a fishing vessel鈥檚 net can be difficult. Catching certain species that a crew isn鈥檛 intending to net can sometimes lead a fishing boat to go over its regulated species quota.
But what if groundfishermen had a 鈥渢hird eye鈥� of sorts that could allow them to see what鈥檚 flowing into their nets?
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth鈥檚 will use some of that federal funding to develop those systems.
鈥淚f you had this camera system going in the net, not only could you have a screen on deck so that the captain could see what was going on,鈥� SMAST Dean Kevin Stokesbury said, adding that the data could also be stored in a secure system.
Recorded data means more information for captains and observers 鈥� paid scientists aboard boats that make sure fishing regulations are being followed.
鈥淓specially if there鈥檚 any dispute between the two,鈥� Stokesbury said.
Bycatch isn鈥檛 the only issue commercial fishing crews are facing. Environmental factors can lead lobster vessels to a less-than-optimal catch.
The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen鈥檚 Alliance is focused on developing autonomous robots to detect adverse conditions 鈥� like high temperatures and 鈥減ockets of low dissolved oxygen,鈥� according to Kritzer.
Those pockets, also known as 鈥渉ypoxia,鈥� develop with the overgrowth of certain algae,
鈥淭hat can mean that a trap comes up full of dead lobsters,鈥� Kritzer said.
What happens when vessels bring back the catch is a separate part of the supply chain that the federal grant will also look to address. And it comes with its own set of issues.
Processing moves out of New England
Jobs in New England鈥檚 seafood processing industry have declined and moved overseas, Kritzer said.
That decline has hit New Bedford too. At least 150 local seafood processing jobs have been lost since 2023, The Light has reported.
Kritzer said figuring out how to revitalize that side of the commercial fishing industry is tricky.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to try to support and even boost an existing and strong harvest sector,鈥� Kritzer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different thing to really try to rebuild in many ways, a processing sector that over time has kind of left the region.鈥�
Half a million dollars of the federal funds are earmarked for 鈥渟upply chain roadmapping.鈥�
It鈥檒l be spent to figure out just how much of the region鈥檚 seafood processing industry has declined 鈥� and how that part of the industry can be rebuilt.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gone overseas where things can be processed more cheaply, and at higher volume, and we want to try to bring that back,鈥� Kritzer said.
But the problem is hard to remedy without knowing the full extent of the region鈥檚 decline.
鈥淭here are likely some useful data out there with NOAA and state agencies,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think anyone鈥檚 done the sort of comprehensive analysis we鈥檙e aiming to do.鈥�
New Bedford has seen some of that decline in recent years, The Light reported.
closed its processing center in 2023, which left 64 people without jobs. And shuttered in 2024, laying off as many as 94 people.
鈥淚f we really want to kind of boost the seafood industry, there鈥檚 only so much we can do at the very start of the supply chain,鈥� Kritzer said. 鈥淭his is kind of exciting, but a little bit uncharted territory, to start moving across the rest of the supply chain.鈥�
Money for 鈥榬isk adverse鈥� times
The NSF grant will include projects that incorporate classic research work. But it鈥檒l also be used to build an 鈥渋nnovation ecosystem,鈥� according to Kritzer.
That ecosystem can be helpful in an industry that is usually innovative, but which has slowed down in recent years.
Now, 鈥渂ecause of some of the economic struggle that it鈥檚 facing right now, it鈥檚 also a fairly risk-adverse industry,鈥� Kritzer said.
Another risk: How do you dole out $15 million in public money?
鈥淭his is not a fishery that I think has the kind of capital that it can try something untested,鈥� Kritzer said. 鈥淏ut it means that now we, as stewards of public resources, are incurring that risk.鈥�
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