Coonamessett Farm Foundation's mission is to conduct scientific research and educational projects that support sustainable fisheries operations, local small-scale agriculture and aquaculture, and renewable energy sources for the benefit of the public.
CFF researchers Tasha O’Hara and Luisa Garcia attended the 11th World Recreational Fisheries Conference in South Africa last week, where they shared their research on coastal fishing reliance and community resilience in Massachusetts. As the preeminent and largest international recreational fisheries conference, this event brings together fisheries experts, researchers, practitioners, and anglers from around the globe.
Tasha presented their talk on fishing reliance across diverse coastal Massachusetts communities, highlighting the critical importance of fishing for “invisible” vulnerable populations, particularly immigrant and senior communities whose dependence on local fisheries is largely unrecognized. The team also presented a poster featuring results from their 2024–2025 study examining fishing motivations and levels of reliance....
3/05
Inside: "Starfish, moon snails and squid: Researchers work to give scallop boats new purpose"
From moon snails to starfish coelomic fluid, CFF’s experimental research was recently highlighted in an article by Brooke Kushwaha in The New Bedford Light. She interviews several CFF team members about their exploratory research...
3/04
New Publication Studying Impacts of Underwater Noise on Leatherback Turtles
CFF just published a new study on how underwater noise impacts leatherback sea turtles. Marine ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic are expected to experience a sudden and sustained increase in underwater noise due to ocean development. To investigate sea turtle responses to impulsive sounds...
3/03
Final Report Available: Scallop Enhancement Project
CFF has released the final report for its Evaluating the Key Factors that Influence the Efficacy of Transplanting to Supplement Recruitment project. This report was submitted to NOAA Fisheries earlier this month and was prepared under the 2022 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. continuing more than a decade of collaborative, industry-based research....
2/20
Our feature film, Sustaining Sea Scallops, is now available online! Watch the full documentary to learn how the collaborative research model embraced by CFF helped a flagging scallop fishing industry rebound.
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