Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation

Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation CFRF is a non-profit, private foundation dedicated to supporting fisheries research and data collection projects in the Southern New England region.

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation is a result of a unique initiative. The Foundation was started in 2004 by a group of fishermen who wanted to develop a means of support to address issues in the groundfish fishery, including ways to improve gear selectivity and reduce bycatch. Its mission has since been expanded to include all fisheries important to the commercial fishing industry based

in southern New England. The CFRF is the only fishing industry led research foundation in the New England region. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised solely of commercial fishermen and individuals working in support businesses for the commercial fishing industry. The heart of the Foundation’s work is focused on establishing working relationships among managers, scientists, and members of the fishing industry through collaborative research projects. The major objective of the Foundation’s work is to help those engaged in the fisheries management decision-making process to move past contentious debates and towards the process of using timely, relevant research to better inform management decisions. The ultimate goal is to aid in the development and adoption of practical solutions to common problems affecting important fisheries in southern New England.

We recently extended our contract with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR) to support their Fishery Dire...
09/03/2026

We recently extended our contract with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR) to support their Fishery Direct Data Pilot Program to expand lobster sampling efforts in the Gulf of Maine 🦞

This collaboration was formed in response to industry requests to collect more data on juvenile lobsters in deeper waters than are captured in the ME DMR Ventless Trap Survey. So far, 16 different vessels have participated in the program, sampling nearly 30,000 lobsters and 7,400 Jonah crabs!

📸: Peter Jordan, ME DMR

08/31/2026

Scup fishermen, we need your expertise! If you’ve been seeing or catching scup, we’d love to hear from you. We’re working to better understand both scup behavior and the practices of the people who know the fishery best—the fishermen, watermen, and anglers out on the water.

Your knowledge can help us improve the scup stock assessment process, provide insight into fishing practices and local changes, and support better fishery management. It only takes about five minutes to share your perspective, and your input can make a difference.

Visit tinyurl.com/scup-2026 to participate.
Thank you for helping us build a better understanding of the scup fishery!

Gear Up for Sustainable Fisheries!We just launched our official CFRF merch store, so it is easier than ever to support o...
08/31/2026

Gear Up for Sustainable Fisheries!

We just launched our official CFRF merch store, so it is easier than ever to support our research and education projects!

When you wear CFRF merch, you help spread the word about the importance of fisheries research and directly support the work that keeps our fisheries sustainable for generations to come 🌊

08/28/2026

When the captain agrees to get in on the social media fun >>>

Shout out to Captain Mike and the crew of the F/V Heather Lynn for always being a pleasure to work with

We’re tagging fish and crustaceans with acoustic transmitter tags to learn how they use the foundations of offshore wind...
08/26/2026

We’re tagging fish and crustaceans with acoustic transmitter tags to learn how they use the foundations of offshore wind turbines as habitat. Swipe through for an update on the study so far 🐟🦀

Calling Rhode Island educators who teach biology, marine or environmental science, or a different STEM subject! We are e...
08/24/2026

Calling Rhode Island educators who teach biology, marine or environmental science, or a different STEM subject!

We are excited to offer even more FREE Diving into Fisheries Science workshops for Rhode Island students this school year! This classroom-based workshop gives students an opportunity to learn about fisheries science, explore potential career paths, and learn what it’s actually like to work in the field. If you think this could be a good fit for your students, please reach out or fill out the interest form at the link below! 🐟👩🏻‍🔬🌊

https://www.cfrfoundation.org/workshop

We invite Scallop Industry members and their families to join us on Friday, August 28th, for an outreach event. Swipe th...
08/19/2026

We invite Scallop Industry members and their families to join us on Friday, August 28th, for an outreach event. Swipe through for details and RSVP at the link in our bio!

DND, in my survey-maxxing era ☀️🛥️
08/12/2026

DND, in my survey-maxxing era ☀️🛥️

We recently completed our project to foster the development of automatic squid jigging through a gear lending program. S...
08/10/2026

We recently completed our project to foster the development of automatic squid jigging through a gear lending program. Swipe ➡️ for a summary, and read the final report on our website. Link in bio 🔗

Fisheries science, but make it chic ✨
08/07/2026

Fisheries science, but make it chic ✨

Address

61B East Farm Road
Kingston, RI
02881

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