Meet the 2023 Sea Run Fish Interns

This summer, three undergraduate students are gaining experience in sea-run fish research and management as participants in Maine Sea Grant and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Undergraduate Internships in Diadromous Ecosystem Research Program.

The program, which launched in 2020, pairs student interns with mentors who are practitioners in the field. The 2023 cohort will be working with scientists and resources managers at Maine Sea Grant and Maine Department of Marine Resources.

The program is also supported by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the National Sea Grant’s Community Engaged Internship program, both of which have provided funding for internship positions.

Students will be participating in 13 weeks of field work, lab work, and hands-on learning experiences, as well as professional development activities focused on science communication and diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the end of their internship, program participants will present their findings at a student symposium.

Gretchen Ramlo, University of Maine at Machias

Host: Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat at Augusta

Gretchen is working alongside mentors Jennifer Noll and Paul Christman as an intern at the Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat assisting with smolt trapping, electrofishing, transporting adult Atlantic salmon from the dam to an upstream site for spawning, and a number of other sea-run fishery projects. Read Gretchen’s profile. 

Rory Hannon, University of Maine

Host: Maine Department of Marine Resources

Rory is working with Maine Department of Marine Resources under the mentorship of Jason Valliere at the Milford Dam. Rory’s internship at the dam entails daily operation of the fishway to pass and enumerate multiple species of sea run fish, such as Atlantic salmon, American shad, alewife, blueback herring, sea lamprey, and striped bass.

Read Rory’s profile.

Lillian Warwick, University of Maine at Machias

Host: Maine Department of Marine Resources

Lillian is working with Ernie Atkinson at the Department of Marine Resources working to collect data on Atlantic Salmon population. In addition, Lillian will be aiding Earnie in a project using temperature logging to predetermine the temperature of water between certain points. This data from the Atlantic Salmon along with the temperature logging will also be used towards restoring their habitat.

Read Lillian’s profile.