Schmidt Marine

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) is a non-profit, private foundation dedicated to supporting research that assists in the achievement of sustainable fisheries through the generation of better information and effective technologies. Its work is for the benefit of individuals and businesses dependent on commercial fishing, consumers of seafood, and the public good. The CFRF was founded in 2004 by a group of fishermen and others in the industry in order to establish an alternative process for supporting fisheries research that would be lead by members of the commercial fishing industry. Initially the Foundation's work focused on supporting collaborative conservation gear engineering projects, specifically in the groundfish fishery. The aim was for fishermen and scientists to work together to develop new gear or modify existing gear to allow fishermen to fish more selectively for species in abundance while protecting those stock in need of rebuilding. Since that time the Foundation's work has expanded to include research pertinent to all fishing sectors (shellfish, lobster, finfish, etc.) and all areas of research important to the commercial fishing industry based in the southern New England region.