PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration says it will award $16.5 million to 14 organizations for research projects about Atlantic sea scallops.

NOAA’S Northeast Cooperative Research Program announced the grants Tuesday. The researchers are from Massachusetts, Maine, Delaware, and Virginia and will work on a total of 16 projects. The award winners include universities, nonprofit foundations, a fish hatchery, commercial fishing vessels, and a state fisheries agency.

NOAA says the money for the awards comes from selling a portion of the annual sea scallop quota that is set aside for this purpose.

One project will allow researchers in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, to test gear to reduce flatfish bycatch. Another will allow Maine researchers to assess sea scallop distribution and abundance in federal and state waters in the Gulf of Maine.

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