Two of the participants in the project. Rob is standing next to the computer display screen that shows the temperature data when they hall the trap with the temperature probe on it. Dom is attaching the probe to the trawler door.

The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation was awarded a 2-year grant to Operationalize Real-time Telemetry Onboard Commercial fishing vessels in the Northeast. This project will involve working with NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the U.S. IOOS Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems, Fishermen and Scientist Research Society, the Island Institute, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to install 36 real-time sensors on commercial fishing boats to collect ocean data, including temperature and depth. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute will support the data management and display work. This project, once completed, will significantly increase the availability of bottom temperature data used by the fishing community to improve their catch. The project is also expected to improve the forecasting capability of local ocean circulation modelers, the National Weather Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which will enable better decisions for those living and working on the water.

The Year 1 total for this award is $399,423.