NSF Seafood Engine

Name

NSF Seafood Engine

Legal name

Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)

Website

https://seafoodengine.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Industry Innovation and Technology R&D

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Engineering & Simulation (CFD/FEA, Digital Twins, Model-Based Engineering) (IMAJAGAL), Aquaculture & Fish-Farm Service Vessels (Feed, Wellboats, Harvest Support) (IMAJADAF), Marine Engineering & Engine Room Operations (EDAOANAB)

Keywords

• Seafood technology innovation
• Aquaculture research
• Ocean intelligence sensors
• Fisheries modernization
• Blue tech ecosystem

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. NSF Regional Innovation Engines Grant: Primary funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation through the NSF Engines program. Initial award of $15 million over two years with potential to grow up to $160 million over ten years as the Engine builds an internationally competitive technology and innovation cluster.
2. Leveraged Public/Private/Philanthropic Funding: Core NSF funding creates opportunity to leverage additional resources from public, private, and philanthropic sources to expand the partnership and scale outcomes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England is a federally-funded NSF Regional Innovation Engine led by NERACOOS that coordinates collaborative R&D projects (ocean intelligence sensors, AI, robotics, digital twins), workforce development via regional apprenticeship consortia, and Translation of Innovation to Impact funding for blue tech companies commercializing products. It connects New England's blue tech sector with seafood industry stakeholders to modernize the seafood supply chain.

Product overview

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England is a single unified innovation ecosystem/initiative rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. It operates as an NSF-funded Regional Innovation Engine led by NERACOOS that coordinates R&D projects (including ocean intelligence through state-of-the-art sensors deployed from fishing vessels and aquaculture farms), workforce development through a consortium of regional seafood apprenticeship programs, and Translation of Innovation to Impact funding for blue tech companies bringing products to commercialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NSF Seafood Engine in New England NSF Regional Innovation Engine initiative led by NERACOOS that coordinates collaborative R&D projects (ocean intelligence sensors, AI, robotics, digital twins), workforce development through a consortium of regional seafood apprenticeship programs, and Translation of Innovation to Impact funding for blue tech companies commercializing products. It brings together seafood industry, tech sector, government, and research partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island to revitalize the New England seafood sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• $20B market opportunity unlocked
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered key stakeholder, core/lead, core and key government partner.

• Penobscot Nationkey stakeholderStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2026Maine tribal partner contributing indigenous knowledge and stakeholder engagement in the seafood ecosystem.
• NERACOOS (Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems)core/leadStrategic or Co-development PartnerNERACOOS serves as the lead organization for the NSF Seafood Engine in New England, headquartered in Portsmouth, NH. Executive Director Jake Kritzer serves as Principal Investigator of the Seafood Engine, providing coordination and leadership for the initiative.
• Gulf of Maine Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads Cross-Sector Partnerships & Stakeholder Alignment activities. Janet Duffy-Anderson serves on the leadership team representing the institute.
• Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents commercial fishermen interests and leads stakeholder alignment. Mel Sanderson serves on the leadership team representing the alliance.
• University of Rhode IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads Use-Inspired R&D activities through Aquaculture/Fisheries Professor Marta Gomez-Chiarri. Contributed to NSPIRE finalist team selection by NSF.
• University of Massachusetts-DartmouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to Use-Inspired R&D activities. Kevin Stokesbury serves on the leadership team.
• Ocean Tech HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to Translation of Innovation to Impact strategy. Lisa Carnevale serves on the leadership team.
• Northeastern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes robotics and technology expertise. Hanumant Singh serves on the leadership team.
• University of New HampshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads Strategic Regional Investment activities. Michael Chambers serves on the leadership team. Also hosts NOAA CIFARM cooperative institute for aquaculture research.
• Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes industry expertise and operations support. Fred Mattera serves on the leadership team.
• New Hampshire Tech AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationConnects technology sector with seafood industry innovation. Julie Demers serves on the leadership team.
• MITRE CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes expertise in innovation and technology translation. Nick Rotker serves on the leadership team.
• Rhode Island Sea GrantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads Regional Engagement and Evaluation activities. Tracey Dalton serves on the leadership team.
• New Hampshire Sea GrantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes workforce development and regional engagement. Erik Chapman serves on the leadership team.
• Maine Coast Fishermen's AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes Maine fishing industry expertise and stakeholder engagement. Ben Martens serves on the leadership team.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes evaluation and research expertise. Julia Melkers serves on the leadership team.
• University of MainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes sustainability research and expertise to the seafood industry. UMaine experts working on cutting-edge research for New England seafood industry sustainability.
• NOAAkey government partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced new NOAA Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Markets (CIFARM) at UNH to strengthen American seafood competitiveness.
• USDA Office of Seafoodkey government partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA launched first-ever Office of Seafood to boost American seafood competitiveness, working in coordination with NSF Seafood Engine initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Schmidt Ocean Institute: Private philanthropic foundation supporting ocean science and technology development, including advanced sensors and autonomous platforms. Comparable as a funding and ocean-technology enabler but with a broader scientific mandate rather than a seafood industry focus.
• OceanX: Non-profit ocean exploration organization combining advanced marine technology, media, and science partnerships. Thematically aligned with the Engine's ocean intelligence mission and use of advanced sensors, though focused on exploration rather than industry transformation.
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council: International standards organization and certification body for responsible aquaculture. Operates adjacent to the Engine's aquaculture stakeholder engagement work, particularly on sustainable practices and supply chain modernization.

Direct peers

• Saildrone: Deploys autonomous unmanned surface vehicles with advanced sensor payloads to collect ocean data at scale. Directly comparable in ocean intelligence sensor technology and AI-enabled marine data collection, the same core technical stack as the Seafood Engine.
• The Maritime Alliance: San Diego-based maritime innovation cluster promoting blue economy technology, R&D collaboration, and commercialization across academia, industry, and government. Operates an analogous cluster-building model to the Seafood Engine but in a different U.S. region.
• Innovasea: Provides aquaculture technology solutions including sensors, fish tracking, and farm management software. Overlaps directly with the Engine's aquaculture R&D and seafood supply chain modernization focus, and serves the same aquaculture operator customer base.
• NOAA Sea Grant College Program: Federally funded network of 34 university-based programs supporting coastal and marine research, workforce development, and industry engagement. Operates the same hybrid research-extension-coordination model as the Seafood Engine and serves overlapping stakeholder groups in fisheries and aquaculture.

Broad incumbents

• Global Seafood Alliance: International industry alliance advancing responsible seafood practices across the supply chain. Comparable to the Engine's industry coordination and stakeholder alignment work, but operating globally across aquaculture standards and certification rather than U.S. regional R&D.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Major ocean research institution with deep expertise in ocean sensing, climate, and marine ecosystems. Comparable to the Engine's research and data collection activities but operating at significantly larger scale and across a broader scientific mandate.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: One of the largest and oldest independent ocean research institutions in the U.S., operating extensive ocean observing infrastructure comparable to NERACOOS and producing ocean intelligence datasets that overlap with the Engine's sensor mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NSF Seafood Engine