Coonamessett Farm Foundation

Coonamessett Farm Foundation CFF’s dynamic staff have degrees in environmental and fisheries science, biology and marine biology, oceanography, and resource management.

CFF'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. This broad range of expertise allows CFF to provide a variety of research services including:

- Fishing gear design and testing
- ROV and benthic sled surveys
- Towed Under

water Habitat Mapping Camera (HabCam) surveys
- Biological dredge surveys
- Automated detection of benthic imagery
- Marine animal tagging and tracking
- Statistical and image analysis

Contact us to find out how we can provide customized research services for your next project.

Can you find a sea turtle without ever seeing one? This May, our team traveled to North Carolina to collect environmenta...
06/17/2026

Can you find a sea turtle without ever seeing one? This May, our team traveled to North Carolina to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in waters where leatherbacks forage. The idea: every animal sheds traces of DNA into its environment, and by screening a water sample for it, we may be able to confirm a leatherback was there — no sighting needed.

Read the full article and learn more about our research at coonamessettfarmfoundation.org. Link in bio.

Done in collaboration with Acbotics, NEFSC , and SEFSC

SeaTurtleConservation

Photo taken under ESA Permit 23639

06/16/2026

Happy !

This footage was captured as a part of our research on loggerhead turtles in the NW Atlantic — an ongoing effort to better understand how these protected animals share the water with commercial fisheries.

Filmed in 2021, permit # 23639.
Learn more about this project and the rest of our work at the link in bio.

06/15/2026

At sea, seconds count. Watch our science staff suit up in their survival suits ahead of our Ørsted Sunrise Wind survey — we aim to be ready in under one minute.

Our benthic ecosystem survey in the Ørsted Sunrise Wind lease area, led by PI Tasha O’Hara, completed its 2026 survey last week during ongoing construction operations. This project is advancing both marine research and offshore safety through expanded training, improved navigation and safety equipment, enhanced emergency preparedness, and updated field protocols for scientists and members of the fishing industry.

This collaborative partnership between Coonamessett Farm Foundation, , and reflects a shared commitment to safer offshore operations and sustainable ocean research.

Learn more about the project at the link in bio.

CFF has received new funding from NFWF to expand electronic monitoring in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. Swipe to lea...
06/10/2026

CFF has received new funding from NFWF to expand electronic monitoring in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. Swipe to learn more, and read the full story at the link in our bio.

06/08/2026

Happy World Oceans Day! At CFF, we are proud to contribute to the understanding of our oceans. From our ongoing seasonal survey of the scallop fishery, optical survey programs, our pilot effort of integrating electronic monitoring (EM) systems in the sea scallop fishery, our various research in protecting marine species populations, and much more – CFF is committed to science that supports sustainable fishing practices and resilient marine ecosystems.

The clips in this video come from our 2016 documentary, Sustaining Sea Scallops in collaboration with UnderCurrent Productions. The film reviews the history and resurgence of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, seen through the eyes of fishermen and researchers. In 1999, facing fisheries closures and bankruptcy, the scallop industry began funding a unique research program to minimize impacts on the marine environment. Fifteen years later, the Atlantic sea scallop is hailed as one of the most sustainable and lucrative fisheries in the world.

From New Bedford, Massachusetts to Seaford, Virginia, fishermen and researchers tell a rare tale of renewal, offering cooperative research as a new model for sustaining healthy fisheries and fishing communities. The film sends a clear and powerful message: a healthy ocean leads to healthy fishing communities, with ripple effects on the larger economy and ecosystem.

Today and everyday, we are proud to work alongside industry members and support our ocean!

Watch the full documentary and learn more about all of our research at our website.
coonamessettfarmfoundation.org

Link in bio.

For our final spring cleanup, 8 CFF volunteers headed to Town Neck Beach in Sandwich and pulled out 550+ lbs of debris —...
06/02/2026

For our final spring cleanup, 8 CFF volunteers headed to Town Neck Beach in Sandwich and pulled out 550+ lbs of debris — most of it a tangled mass of rope, netting, and trap components buried on the marsh side of the beach. It took two trips and 14 fishing baskets to remove.

This was the last of three DMF-funded cleanups held in Wellfleet, Falmouth, and Sandwich this spring. In total, 30 volunteers removed nearly 700 lbs of marine debris, including significant amounts of abandoned fishing gear.

Read the full article at coonamessettfarmfoundation.org/news

Linkinbio

Our Spring 2026 Seasonal Newsletter has arrived! Read now at coonamessettfarmfoundation.org/newsletter Link in bio.     ...
05/29/2026

Our Spring 2026 Seasonal Newsletter has arrived!

Read now at coonamessettfarmfoundation.org/newsletter

Link in bio.

We are excited to share the second chapter of our new Waterfront Conversations series,  highlighting the voices of the f...
05/28/2026

We are excited to share the second chapter of our new Waterfront Conversations series, highlighting the voices of the fishermen we collaborate with at sea.

Here, we hear from Paulo Cristelo, captain of FV Princess Scarlett, who is working with Atlantic Shellfish Inc. to collaborate with CFF on our HabCam Scallop Survey.

Read the full interview and learn more at the link in our bio.

05/27/2026

Behind the scenes of our Larval Scallop Sampling project in the Mid-Atlantic - collecting zooplankton and larval bivalves at specific depth intervals to better understand what species are living where beneath the surface.

Visit the project page on our website to learn more and watch the full mini-documentary. Linkinbio.



Last week, CFF hosted the 2026 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Share Day in collaboration with the New England Fishery ...
05/21/2026

Last week, CFF hosted the 2026 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Share Day in collaboration with the New England Fishery Management Council, bringing together commercial fishermen and scientists from across the region for a day of presentations and discussion — read the full update at the link in bio.

Address

277 Hatchville Road
East Falmouth, MA
02536

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15083563601

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Coonamessett Farm Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Coonamessett Farm Foundation:

Share