Maine Sea Grant Newsletter
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Message From the Director
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Wow, it’s fall, where did the summer go? It was a beautiful and action-packed summer, and fall weather and activities are now upon us. This summer, our team updated our frequently accessed Maine Seafood Guide site with the new addition of recipes. If you have any updates or recipes to share, please send them along to Aimee Whitman, Communications Specialist. I also want to express gratitude for the tireless work of our research staff and reviewers to keep our competitive research process moving forward. We are hopeful that awards will be made in early 2026 to support the slate of impactful research projects recommended for funding by our review panel and peer reviewers. These projects will address community-driven research priorities and continue the tradition of Marine Science for Maine People. To do so, we await the FY26 federal budget.
As a team, Maine Sea Grant continues to explore new opportunities to sustain the work that matters most to you. In the 400+ messages of support we received last spring, we learned more about ways Sea Grant’s work in Maine is important to you. Three of the most frequently mentioned priorities include:
- Advancing critical science that informs policy and practice;
- Supporting businesses that depend on a healthy coast; and
- Providing educational and career opportunities for Maine’s next generation.
These priorities remain at the heart of our mission. To sustain them, we are working to diversify our funding and strengthen program support here in Maine. We remain committed to this, alongside all of you.
Your continued connection helps us build a stronger foundation for Maine Sea Grant’s future.
Please read on about some of our work over the last few months.
– Gayle Zydlewski
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Maine Sea Grant welcomes new team members!
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Maine Sea Grant is excited to welcome Kevin Roberge as our new Fiscal Officer and Administrative Program Manager! Kevin will oversee both pre- and post-award management, working closely with Sea Grant personnel on fiscal operations, reconciliation, budgeting, and long-term financial planning. We could not be more excited to have Kevin on board for this important role that has been vacant during times of budgetary challenges.
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We are also pleased to welcome Assistant Professor Georgios Boumis to the Maine Sea Grant team! Georgios is a joint faculty member with Maine Sea Grant and the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine. He specializes in coastal engineering and infrastructure resilience. His work focuses on understanding how coastal hazards such as storm surges and waves evolve with changing climatic conditions and their impacts on the built environment. He works to develop practical flood risk management solutions to support coastal communities. We’re excited to work with Georgios on the Resilient Maine project as we continue advancing coastal resilience efforts in Maine.
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Maine Fishermen’s Forum Request for Proposals
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The Maine Fishermen’s Forum is now accepting proposals through November 28th for educational seminars held over the three days of the Forum, taking place at the Samoset Resort from March 5 – 7, 2026. Apply through the seminar proposal form here.
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Applications now open: 2026 Maine Fishermen’s Forum Scholarship
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Undergraduate students with family ties to Maine’s seafood industry are invited to apply for the 2026 Maine Fishermen’s Forum Scholarship. Applications are due by February 27, 2026, at 5 PM (ET), with winners announced during the Forum banquet on March 7, 2025. Learn more about the scholarship 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 an important part of Maine’s intertidal ecosystem and coastal economy. With support from Maine Sea Grant, UMaine and partner researchers with the CRASSH project are studying how harvest practices influence rockweed habitats and the species that rely on them. By working with harvesters, conservation groups, and landowners, the team is gathering data to help inform future management decisions. Read the full story.
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Maine Sea Grant at the 2025 Maine Blue Economy Summit
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Maine Sea Grant participated in the 2025 Maine Blue Economy Innovation Summit in Portland, Maine, hosted by UMaine MARINE. The all-day event focused on fostering connections between researchers and industry members, with the shared goal of strengthening collaboration and innovation in Maine’s blue economy. Sea Grant team members helped organize the event and hosted an exposition table to share work supporting aquaculture, fisheries, working waterfronts, and workforce development, as well as efforts to build coastal resilience in Maine communities. Read more about the event.
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From Methane Emissions to Carbon Sequestration: The Stories Tidal Marshes Tell
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In 2022, Maine Sea Grant funded a study led by Beverly Johnson (Bates College) and Claire Enterline (Gulf of Maine Research Institute), measuring methane emissions and carbon absorption in marshes along the Maine coast at sites where tidal flow has been restricted. These data give researchers and resource managers a better understanding of how marsh restoration efforts could help Maine reduce carbon emissions and achieve goals laid out in Maine Won’t Wait, Maine’s four-year climate action plan. Read the full story.
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Extension and Community Engagement
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Collaborative Chats Returns
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Maine Sea Grant is returning with our regional partners for the next installment of the Collaborative Chats webinar series! This season will feature a range of projects and collaborations within the American Lobster Initiative network and beyond. Stay tuned for upcoming dates and topics by visiting the American Lobster Initiative webpage.
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Maine Sea Grant at the Fryeburg Fair
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Maine Sea Grant staffed a booth at the Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, Maine, connecting with fairgoers about coastal science, healthy fisheries, and sustainable aquaculture. Visitors stopped by to learn about our programs, pick up educational materials, and talk with staff about Maine’s marine ecosystems and seafood. Thanks to everyone who visited and engaged, we appreciate the chance to bring research and extension work into the community, and hope to see you all next year!
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The University of Maine School of Law published a review of living shoreline permitting structures across four Atlantic Coast states, offering examples of legal frameworks that could help Maine better regulate living shoreline projects. Living shorelines are nature-based solutions that stabilize eroding coastlines through natural methods such as planting vegetation or strategically placing fallen trees. The report, “Living Shorelines: Models of State Permitting Structures,” outlines the policy research methods, summarizes Maine’s existing permitting structure, and presents case studies from Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Virginia. The project, led by Bryant Wolff, J.D. Candidate 2024 at the UMaine School of Law, was funded by Maine Sea Grant with support from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Climate Science and Information Exchange, and UMaine School of Law faculty.
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Maine Public Working Waterfront Infrastructure Fund Notice
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The Maine Department of Transportation, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and the Maine Office of Community Affairs have an upcoming funding opportunity through the Maine Public Working Waterfront Infrastructure Fund. The purpose of this notice is to give eligible parties an opportunity to start thinking about potential projects before the Request for Applications opens in late January 2026. Read the full notice (PDF) and stay tuned as Sea Grant will be announcing working waterfront resilience workshops in the new year.
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Education and Workforce Development
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The Knauss Fellowship: It Is What You Make of It
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Kara Chuang, a member of the 2025 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship cohort, reflects on her experiences and insights from the past year. Read about Kara’s journey and the impact of her work in her latest blog, The Knauss Fellowship: It Is What You Make of It.
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Summer in Practice: NSGLC Students Share Their Summer Internship Experience and Research
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A major aspect of the National Sea Grant Law Center’s mission is to enhance the educational experiences of students interested in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes law. This summer, the NSGLC hosted two law students and one policy graduate student researching an array of topics: shellfish restoration in Maine, PFAS regulation in the Southeastern US, and marine mammal policy related to aquaculture operations. In this webinar, the students discuss their internship experiences and present findings from their research projects. Watch this video to learn more about Ilinca’s experiences during her time in Maine.
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Since the start of the school year, Maine Sea Grant and its partners have organized more than a dozen field trips for schools across the state, helping students explore and understand Maine’s coastal ecosystems. Through classroom programs and on-the-water experiences, Maine Sea Grant connects learning with the unique environments of the Maine coast!
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- Op-ed: From docks to dinner plates, Sea Grant delivers real value for working waterfronts, Seafood Source
- US lawmakers hold hearing on renewing Young Fishermen’s Development Act, Seafood Source
- Wild Oysters Make a Comeback in Maine, Civil Eats
- Japanese expertise considered key to building Maine’s farmed scallop industry, MaineBiz
- An edible fungus could make paper, fabric liquid-proof – EurekAlert
- State’s future economy anchored in the sea, University of Maine president says, UMaine News
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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.
The University of Maine System is an equal opportunity institution committed to nondiscrimination.
Maine Sea Grant’s work across Maine, from the Piscataqua River to Passamaquoddy Bay, is carried out on the lands and waters of the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq. We thank them for their stewardship and continued strength and resilience in protecting it. We support efforts for healing and protecting the land and water we share.
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Maine Sea Grant