The University of Maine is a designated Sea Grant College. Since 1971, Sea Grant has been supporting marine science for Maine people (learn more about our history). We are one of 34 NOAA Sea Grant programs throughout the coastal and Great Lakes states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The network is a powerful resource for sharing information and solving problems.  Learn more about our network activities.

We are focused on Maine’s coastal communities. In partnership with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, members of our Marine Extension Team work on issues of concern to Maine’s coastal communities. A 25-member advisory committee helps identify stakeholder needs and ensures that our work is relevant to the people of Maine. Among our valued partners are the Wabanaki people whom we thank for their stewardship of the land and associated waters and continued strength and resilience in protecting it. Maine Sea Grant acknowledges that all of our work across Maine, from the Piscataqua River to Passamaquoddy Bay, is carried out on the tribal lands and waters of the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq, collectively known as the Wabanaki people. We recognize they are distinct, sovereign, legal and political entities with their own powers of self-governance and self-determination. Fundamentally, Maine Sea Grant fosters and amplifies innovation and problem-solving to support the well-being of people and ecosystems. The relationship the Wabanaki people have with the natural environment is one that our program is learning from. We believe that seeking out opportunities for relationship building and collaboration with tribal nation members can help our mission to advance sustainability and stewardship for people and our shared environment. Our environment is as dynamic and as changing as the legacy and leadership of those who care for it.

We sponsor scientific research that matters to those who depend on Maine’s coastal and marine resources. Learn more about current research projects and funding opportunities.

We develop tomorrow’s marine workforce through formal and informal education programs, fellowships and scholarships.

We at Maine Sea Grant would like to affirm our commitment to programming and outreach that promotes our core values as essential and enduring tenets that guide our actions. We begin with listening and learning from our partners and other interested parties about their needs and assets. In our work, we strive to center Maine Sea Grant’s core values.

Maine Sea Grant’s Core Values 

Maine Sea Grant’s core values are essential and enduring tenets that guide our actions. Our core values support a culture of integrity and inclusivity, with the intent to maintain our role as a trusted source of evidence-based information among all people with whom we live and work. We begin with listening and learning from our diverse partners and other interested parties about their needs and assets. We strive to center the following values in all we do:

  • Accountability We strive to deliver our research, extension, education, and communications services equitably, and with integrity, and develop and maintain trust through our actions. We operate with honesty and transparency and work to develop and adapt our capacity and resources to meet the needs of our constituents.
  • Accountability We strive to deliver our research, extension, education, and communications services equitably, and with integrity, and develop and maintain trust through our actions. We operate with honesty and transparency and work to develop and adapt our capacity and resources to meet the needs of our constituents. 
  • Collaboration We seek and nurture partnerships that amplify our impact. We approach our partnerships with responsiveness, inclusiveness, and respect for different perspectives and types of knowledge. In our work, we begin with listening and facilitate communication among diverse interests. 
  • Connectedness We recognize and value land-sea and socio-ecological connectivity, and the complexity of relationships between terrestrial and marine/coastal ecosystems, including humans, and human dependence on healthy ecosystems. We work to address linkages between ecosystem health and human health, watersheds, climatic processes, migration, nutrient and hydrologic cycling, and social interactions. 
  • Objectivity We maintain a commitment to objective research and programming that avoids bias and advocacy in the development and delivery of information, tools, and services. 
  • Service We work with our national, state, and local partners to understand and address complex challenges and seize new opportunities using diverse sources of knowledge and expertise. We draw upon resources and expertise from NOAA, the University of Maine, and community, state, national, and tribal networks to help meet the needs of those we serve. We strive to make sense of changes and trends and address emerging challenges with innovative and inclusive approaches and collaborations. 
  • Sustainability We practice and promote efforts to enhance the health and function of marine and coastal ecosystems, both for the sake of these ecosystems and to increase resilience within the communities they support. We build capacity for applied research, responsive monitoring and management, stewardship, and planning to identify and support ecologically and economically sustainable practices.