Grant aims to protect New England's 'legacy' seafood industry

The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded a $15 million grant to the University of Rhode Island and regional partners to support new fishery technology aimed at protecting New England’s seafood sector. The industry, long an economic driver in Rhode Island, faces rising costs, warming waters and an aging workforce. The funding will back research efforts—led by aquaculture and fisheries professor Marta Gomez-Chiarri—to help scientists and operators better understand a changing marine environment. Gomez-Chiarri said environmental shifts alter fish populations and that technology can translate observations into faster, real-time decision-making tools for both day-to-day conditions and localized problems, such as shellfish thriving in one farm area while dying in another. She also described sensors used to monitor variables like temperature to detect stress before negative effects escalate.