Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Review of June Meeting Outcomes and Key Focus Areas

• Best practices across the aquatic supply chain (digital monitoring, predictive maintenance, transparency, climate resilience).
• Promoting seafood consumption and safety (validated testing for PFAS/contaminants, distribution analyses, public health implications, source tracing, mitigation, outreach).
• Advancing the biocircular economy with seafood byproducts (collagen; coordination, market analysis, regulatory pathways).
• Supporting small seafood businesses (solution-driven applied projects; access to Sustainable Agriculture Reseawrch Education (SARE), economic development funds, specialty crop–like models).

Discussion of Current and Upcoming Funding Opportunities

• NE SARE call reopened; submission expected in December; webinar available.
• Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) call: up to $60,000; indirect costs (IDC) not covered by SIRF and may be restricted by some universities.
• USDA calls: several opened with short timelines; plan to target next cycle as needed; consider seed, new investigator, and equipment tracks.
• Eligibility nuances: “farmer” and “agriculture product” definitions; NAICS-based eligibility under USDA Rural Development typically includes seafood processors as small businesses.
• USDA Regional Aquaculture Centers (RACs): up to ~$300,000; requires collaboration and extension engagement; IDC constraints noted at some institutions.
• EPA Region 6 pollution prevention funding: one more cycle anticipated; opportunity for technical assistance to seafood processors.
• Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP): suitable for multi-state outreach/food safety initiatives; proposals planned related to seaweed.

Collaboration Tools and Information Sharing

• Create a Microsoft Teams channel with shared folders to post funding links, deadlines, and updates.
• Build a collaborator/expertise database: Excel sheet with names, emails, specialties, appointment types; collect short bios and two-page CVs; include current and past projects.

Planning for Next Hatch Meeting and Aquatic Foods Conference

• Proposed Hatch meeting date: Monday, May 19 (half-day) followed by the Aquatic Foods Conference (full day) and a tour of the Fulton Fish Market.
• Location plan: Long Beach, NY (Alegria hotel under consideration; exploring cost mitigation and alternate venues if needed).
• Estimated registration: ~$275 (AFC), ~$175 (Hatch); potential small fee for market tour.
• Encourage submission of abstracts for invited/technical presentations to broaden participation.
• Coordination: post details via NIMS to enable travel authorization by experiment station directors.

Engagement with SARE and USDA NIFA Representatives

• Invite regional SARE leads to the next meeting to discuss seafood eligibility, terminology, and fit with SARE calls.
• Invite NIFA liaisons (Jodi Williams and Shushan Zeng) for an agenda spot and Q&A on program inclusion and workshop funding options.
• Aim for at least local (NY) SARE participation in person, with other regions joining virtually.

Training and Support for Grant Access

• Offer training for seafood businesses on grant writing and navigating local/state economic development funds.
• Consider parallel education for economic development agencies where priorities limit fund accessibility.

Other Conferences and Opportunities

• Pacific Fisheries Technologist Conference: February 22–25, San Pedro, CA; encourage abstracts and student presentations.
• USDA workshop funds: may be requestable outside regular grant cycles (submit ~150 days before workshop); confirm current guidance with NIFA.

Action Items / Follow-up Tasks

• Funding Opportunities Sharing System: Create a Microsoft Teams channel and folders for funding links, deadlines, and documents. (Lead: Evelyn)
• Collaborator and Expertise Database: Set up folder for CVs/bios and an Excel sheet capturing names, emails, specialties, appointment types, current/past projects. (Lead: Evelyn)
• Regional SARE Leads Engagement: Invite regional SARE leads to the next Hatch project meeting to discuss opportunities and eligibility. (Leads: Christina, Michael Ciaramella, Evelyn)
• USDA NIFA Representatives Participation: Invite Jody Williams and Shushan Zeng and allocate Q&A time. (Lead: Shawn)
• Aquatic Foods Conference Planning: Share finalized dates, location, hotel, and registration details with Shawn for NIMS posting. (Lead: Michael Ciaramella)
• Meeting Report Distribution: Share this meeting report with Mike and Christina for review and group distribution. (Lead: Evelyn)

Short‑term outcomes

• The group reaffirmed the four priority areas established in June—best practices across the aquatic supply chain, promoting seafood consumption and safety, advancing the biocircular economy through byproduct utilization, and supporting small seafood businesses—and aligned them with concrete 2026 work streams.
• A consolidated funding scan was captured (NE SARE reopened; SIRF call with no IDC; several USDA tracks opening/closing quickly; EPA Region 6 pollution‑prevention cycle anticipated; FSOP suitable for multi‑state outreach; RACs supporting aquaculture with strong extension components).
• The team agreed to stand up a Microsoft Teams channel with shared folders and a collaborator database (Excel list of names, emails, specialties, appointment types) augmented with short bios, two‑page CVs, and current/past projects to streamline teaming and proposal development.
• Planning advanced for the next Hatch meeting to be held with the Aquatic Foods Conference in Long Beach, NY (target May 19 for the Hatch half‑day; AFC full day; Fulton Fish Market tour; preliminary registration estimates and hotel options discussed).
• A strategy was set to invite SARE regional leads and USDA NIFA liaisons (Jody/Jodi Williams and Steve Zang/Zeng) for an agenda slot and Q&A on seafood eligibility, terminology, and workshop funding pathways.

Output

• Named action items and leads captured to operationalize collaboration infrastructure, partner engagement, and conference logistics (e.g., Teams setup and folders—Evelyn; SARE invitations—Christina/Michael C./Evelyn; NIFA reps and NIMS posting—Shawn; AFC/Hatch details—Michael C.; report distribution—Evelyn).
• A working agenda concept for the May Hatch/AFC sequence was shared (Hatch half‑day program; agency/regulatory updates; invitations for abstracts; market tour planning).
• A shared understanding of terminology challenges (“farmer,” “agricultural product,” NAICS‑based eligibility) and their implications for proposal fit was documented for follow‑up with SARE/NIFA.

Activities

• Round‑the‑room introductions documented expertise across research, extension, and teaching, enabling faster formation of cross‑institution teams for upcoming calls.
• Funding intelligence exchange captured current calls, timelines, constraints, and strategies (seed/new‑investigator/equipment tracks, workshop funds, technical assistance models).
• Training concepts for seafood businesses (grant writing, navigating local/state economic development funds) and options to educate economic‑development agencies were surfaced for program design.

Milestones

• Participant Expertise Database
  Gather short bios and CVs, compile an Excel database of participant details, and upload all materials to the Teams channel.
• Microsoft Teams Collaboration Setup
  Create a Teams channel with shared folders for funding opportunities and project documents; maintain updates regularly.
• Funding Intelligence and Proposal Planning
  Consolidate funding opportunities, form working groups for priority proposals, and initiate multi-state submissions.
• Training and Capacity Building
  Develop and deliver grant-writing and economic development training for seafood businesses; include education for local agencies.
• Hatch Meeting and Aquatic Foods Conference
  Finalize venue and registration details, circulate call for abstracts, confirm agenda and speakers, and conduct the event.
• Engagement with SARE and USDA NIFA
  Invite regional SARE leads and USDA NIFA representatives, confirm participation, and host Q&A sessions during the Hatch meeting.