Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced that The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a nonprofit corporation established by the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded Hugh Cowperthwaite of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) a $300,000 matching research grant. CEI has received the funding in order to investigate the economic viability of a Japanese scallop production technique that has been shown to grow scallops faster and produce larger meat yields.
“Congratulations to Hugh Cowperthwaite of CEI who is researching the farming of Atlantic Sea Scallops in groundbreaking new ways. The additional funding from FFAR will help CEI continue this pioneering work and produce important research for fisheries across the nation to put to use,” said Pingree. “It’s incredibly exciting to see farm bill programs in action and driving innovation in Maine.”
CEI’s grant is one of four announced by FFAR today. The four grant awards total $1.5 million for research to improve economic opportunities for farmed fish, shellfish, and marine invertebrate production and increase the supply of domestically-produced, nutritious foods in the United States.
FFAR awards are matched by five companies, one industry association and three universities for a total of $3 million in funding for research including best practices for aquaculture producers and economic feasibility studies. All research results will be shared publicly with the goal of stimulating aquaculture markets. Maine’s oyster farmers hauled in 2.1 million pounds of oysters worth $5 million in 2016, the highest-value crop on record, according to data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
