Scallops Sales To Fund Ocean Research On East Coast

DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The federal government says a program that sells scallops to pay for marine science will include a study of how shellfish harvesting impacts sea turtles in this year's projects. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside will help pay for 13 projects in 2019 and 2020. Regulators use the program to set aside more than a million pounds of scallops, which generates millions of dollars for the science projects. Fishermen and scientists collaborate on the program. This year's awards include a pair to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth to use underwater cameras to get a better handle on East Coast scallop population health. The award to study sea turtles is slated to go to the Coonamessett Farm Foundation and Roger Williams University.