Smelts will develop and deliver lobster gear not containing persistent buoy lines (i.e. ropeless lift bag fishing gear or "lobster rafts") to three fishermen one in maine and two in massachusetts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $543,846 Project Grant to the Smelts Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society under the Fisheries Development and Utilization Research and Development Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program (CFDA 11.427). The grant will fund Smelts to develop and deliver ropeless lobster fishing gear to three fishermen, one in Maine and two in Massachusetts, between December 2022 and October 2024. Specifically, Smelts will outfit the vessels of these commercial lobstermen with new technology incorporating smart buoys, acoustic modems and directional acoustic transponders to test the efficacy of different gear retrieval systems. The project aims to advance ropeless trap/pot retrieval technology for use in both inshore and offshore waters while also evaluating the interoperability of gear and equipment from multiple manufacturers. This work supports the grant program's goals of sustainably developing fisheries industries and seafood opportunities.

This project focuses on the technical development of new gear retrieval technology to be used in the recovery of ropeless trap/pot gear in inshore and offshore waters. In order to test the efficacy of the different technologies, the researcher intends to work with three commercial lobstermen (1 from maine and 2 from massachusetts) who will have their vessels outfitted with the technology in question, as well as be provided with new ropeless trap/pot systems. This project will incorporate unique smart buoys, acoustic modems and directional acoustic transponder (DAT) technology. One important component of the project will look to test the inter-operability of different gear retrieval apps and equipment produced by different manufacturers in order to determine the operation