Media report $1.6M NOAA grant to fund new research consortium

The Associated Press, Mainebiz and WABI (Channel 5) reported a $1.6 million grant from NOAA Sea Grant will fund a new research consortium led by Walt Golet at the University of Maine. The Pelagic Ecosystem Research Consortium (PERC) will focus on improving stock assessment, management and sustainability of highly migratory species such as tuna, swordfish and sharks in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The funding is one of three competitive awards totaling $2 million awarded through the 2019 Sea Grant Highly Migratory Species Research Initiative, according to the articles. The research is expected to help contribute to better management of the species. “Highly migratory species are some of the most sought-after fish in the world, both commercially and recreationally, and yet there is so much to learn about their life history in order to improve the stock assessments that determine their population status, the allocation of fishing quotas and, ultimately, their sustainability,” said Golet, an assistant professor in the School of Marine Sciences. He is co-principal investigator on the project with David Kerstetter of Nova Southeastern University, Robert Hueter of Mote Marine Laboratory and Stephen Bullard of Auburn University. Coastal News Today carried the Mainebiz article, and Saving Seafood published the WABI report. U.S. News & World Report, Maine Public, WABI, Portland Press Herald, WGAN, Times Union, Orlando Sentinel, Beaumont Enterprise and Miami Herald carried the AP report.