Maine Sea Grant Newsletter
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Message From the Director
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Wow, summer sure does fly in Maine! It has been a busy one for the Maine Sea Grant team. At the end of June, we spent four days with a NOAA federal program review team who joined us virtually from across the country to evaluate our work over the past six years. We were honored to hear their positive remarks about our efforts at the end of the week, and we are so grateful to our many partners for their excellent presentations, remarks, and other contributions to the process. The team was incredibly impressed by the work and relationships we have with all of you, and we received resounding encouragement to keep doing that amazing work.
Since then, our landscape continues to shift as we welcome new staff! Kevin Roberge will start on Monday, August 18th as our new Fiscal Officer and Taylor Bailey Spencer joined the program last month as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Coastal Processes. Taylor will be working with us to provide technical assistance and engineering expertise to coastal communities throughout the state as they continue to rebuild from the devastating 2023-2024 winter storms and plan for the future – read more about Taylor’s work below.
Along with these exciting arrivals, we are also getting ready to bid farewell and calm seas to one of our longest-serving Marine Extension Team members, Kristen Grant, who will be retiring in September. Kristen’s contributions to our program and to her many projects and collaborations are innumerable. Her work with us spans nearly three decades, and leaves us with a proud legacy of effective and impactful work in community engagement, facilitation, and long-term planning. Throughout all of her work, Kristen has supported efforts to understand and center community needs and assets as the foundation for building resilience to change. She has often facilitated collaboration across sectors to engage different sources of knowledge and experience, and support opportunities for all community members to have a voice in decisions that impact their social, economic, and environmental well-being. We are committed to finding ways to carry her legacy forward and continue her work. We wish her all the best in her retirement, and we will miss her!
– Gayle Zydlewski
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Meet Taylor Bailey Spencer
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We’re excited to welcome Dr. Taylor Bailey Spencer to the Maine Sea Grant team as our new Coastal Processes Postdoctoral Research Associate! In her new position, Taylor will be working on the Resilient Maine project, helping coastal communities address issues related to coastal storms, sea level rise, and resiliency planning. A Maine native and recent UMaine PhD grad, Taylor brings expertise in coastal science and a strong commitment to making research work for communities. We’re lucky to have her on board! Meet Taylor through her welcome story.
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Maine Seafood Guide updated
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The Maine Seafood Guide has been updated with current information on locally harvested species, seasonality, and fishing methods! This resource is designed to provide factual, easy-to-navigate guidance about seafood commonly harvested in Maine. View the updated guide.
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Maine Sea Grant worked to create informative aquaculture fact sheets with details around the farming process of scallops, mussels, oysters, kelp, and salmon in the state of Maine. To learn more about aquaculture in Maine waters, view the What’s in the Water factsheets.
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Hidden changes in Maine’s ocean
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Kelp forests play a vital role in the Gulf of Maine – providing habitat, supporting fisheries, and helping sustain coastal ecosystems. But recent research shows that these underwater landscapes are changing in quiet ways. With support from Maine Sea Grant, marine ecologist Doug Rasher and his team are studying how warming waters and species interactions are influencing the structure and resilience of kelp habitats. Read the full story.
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North American Lobster Science Symposium – call for abstracts
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We are seeking abstracts from researchers whose work contributes to our understanding of the ecosystem dynamics that drive lobster distribution and abundance across its range, as well as the economic and social contexts of the communities that depend on the resource. The deadline to submit is September 5th. More information on how to submit an abstract can be found here.
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Finding the balance: how vital research on rockweed harvest helps coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems
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Rockweed is a big part of Maine’s coast—it supports marine life, helps protect shorelines, and plays a role in local economies. But there’s still a lot we don’t completely understand about how harvesting affects these habitats. With support from Maine Sea Grant, the Conserving Rockweed Animal Systems for a Sustainable Harvest (CRASSH) project brought together researchers, harvesters, and local folks to get a better idea of what sustainable management could really look like here in Maine. Read the full story.
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Extension and Community Engagement
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Marine Science for Maine People: Supporting Innovation in the Lobster Industry
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Learn how the Innovative Fishing Gear Library is helping Maine’s lobster fishery adapt to a changing regulatory environment. Maine Sea Grant’s Alicia Gaiero shares how this collaborative project is engaging fishermen, advancing new gear technologies, and supporting community-based solutions for the future of the fishery in her blog Marine Science for Maine People: Supporting Innovation in the Lobster Industry.
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Meet the MET – Alicia Gaiero
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In this quarter’s “Meet the MET (Marine Extension Associate)” we’re highlighting Alicia Gaiero, one of our Fisheries Extension Associates working on the Innovative Fishing Gear Library project led by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR). Meet Alicia through her video here.
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Meet NSGLC summer research associate Ilinca Johnson
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The National Sea Grant Law Center welcomes Ilinca Johnson, a rising third year Vermont Law School student, as its 2025 Summer Research Associate. Through the Community Engaged Legal Internship Program, she’ll work closely with Maine Sea Grant and The Nature Conservancy to tackle pressing coastal law and policy issues. Discover how her passion for marine science and climate-resilience advocacy will help advance Maine’s efforts to protect its coastal communities. Meet Ilinca here.
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Education and Workforce Development
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Maine Sea Grant helping state conserve Atlantic salmon
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Atlantic salmon are a federally listed endangered species and a key part of Maine’s river ecosystems. With support from Maine Sea Grant, student interns are working alongside NOAA Fisheries and the Maine Department of Marine Resources to assist with salmon conservation efforts. From stocking juvenile fish to conducting habitat surveys, these internships are helping train the next generation of marine professionals while supporting ongoing restoration efforts. Read the full story.
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Ocean exploration for educators
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On August 6th, Maine Sea Grant and partners provided K-12 educators with a hands-on, outdoor learning experience to build deeper connections to the ocean and marine science and provide career opportunities. Educators took a boat tour to explore Casco Bay’s working waterfront industries, marine organisms, diverse habitats, monitoring/restoration efforts, as well as sample Maine seafood products. Participants were provided with STEM resources, connections to educational expertise, and a stipend to help bring activities and topics back to their classrooms.
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Casco Bay educational boat tour with Khmer Maine
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On August 9th, Maine Sea Grant joined Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, UMaine Cooperative Extension/4H, Manomet, Madeleine Point Oyster Farms, and Khmer Maine for a boat tour of Casco Bay. Partners from multiple generations came together to learn about common marine organisms, eelgrass beds, green crabs, seaweeds, and oysters. Delicious Cambodian cuisine was served, as well as Maine oysters and kelp products. Participants were also provided an array of resources including translated facts and recipes about Maine’s edible seaweeds.
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- Supported by Maine Sea Grant, Chyanne Yoder is conducting research on reducing plastic pollution by piloting reusable food container systems in Maine coastal communities, as covered by UMaine News and UMaine Research.
- The New York Times featured the Maine Oyster Trail, a project launched by Maine Sea Grant to highlight Maine’s oyster farms and working waterfronts!
- University of Maine alumnus Struan Coleman’s scallop farm in Belfast, Maine, was featured in the PBS documentary ‘Hope in the Water,’ which received a 2025 Emmy nomination for outstanding science and technology coverage.
- Maine Sea Grant-funded research was published in Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability on gender equity in Maine’s aquaculture industry, focusing on addressing data gaps to support gender-responsive programming and networks.
- Maine Sea Grant Director Gayle Zydlewski co-authored a paper about the shifting diets of Bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine that was highlighted by UMaine News.
- Calling all anglers! UMaine researchers are studying striped bass in Maine rivers and need your help collecting valuable data.
- Maine Sea Grant-funded research was featured in the Bangor Daily News, highlighting where to find sea stars along Maine’s coast.
- Dana Morse spoke with the Harpswell Anchor about the potential ‘gold rush’ that aquaculture could bring to Maine’s coasts.
- Maine Sea Grant students assisting the state in conservation efforts for endangered Atlantic salmon were featured in a report by Fox 22/ABC 7 (Bangor), highlighting their hands-on work—from fish stocking to lab analysis—along the Gulf of Maine this summer.
- Partially funded by Maine Sea Grant, researchers from Iowa State University spoke with Iowa State University News about tracking Gulf of Maine acidity and its implications for the outlook of commercial shellfisheries.
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Tune in to WERU Community Radio (89.9 FM in Blue Hill and streaming online at WERU.org) from 4:00 to 4:30 PM the fourth Friday of each month for Coastal Conversations, a public affairs program hosted by Marine Extension Program Leader Natalie Springuel that explores current issues facing Maine’s coastal communities through conversations with people who live, work, and play on our coast. Coastal Conversations is supported by Maine Sea Grant, in partnership with Schoodic Institute and The First Coast.
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Maine Sea Grant supports the responsible use and conservation of coastal resources to sustain diverse, thriving coastal communities and ecosystems. Our work requires building partnerships and collaborations with organizations and individuals across the coast and beyond. If you have questions or ideas, or if you’d like to connect, please feel free to reach out to anyone on our team.
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Please do not reply directly to this email. This was sent from an address that cannot accept responses. For questions or assistance, please contact the office.
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Maine Sea Grant 5741 Libby Hall, Orono, ME, 04469
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Maine Sea Grant is a federal-state partnership program based at the University of Maine and one of 34 NOAA Sea Grant programs throughout the coastal and Great Lakes states. We receive funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is matched by the state of Maine and other non-federal sources. Since 1971, we have promoted science and education for the sustainable development, management, and stewardship of Maine’s marine and coastal resources. We continue this mission today by supporting marine and coastal research, education, and outreach via a marine extension team with individuals located in coastal communities from Wells to Eastport.
Maine Sea Grant’s work across Maine, from the Piscataqua River to Passamaquoddy Bay, is carried out on the lands and waters of the Wabanaki people. We thank the Wabanaki, people of the Dawn Land, for their stewardship and continued strength and resilience in protecting it. We support all efforts for healing and protecting the land and water we share.
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Maine Sea Grant