Maine Sea Grant

Working Waterfront Access: A Forum on Challenges and Solutions, University of Maine Darling Marine Center, Walpole, Maine, December 17, 2003 On December 17, 2003, the Gulf of Maine Foundation, Maine Sea Grant Marine Extension Team (MET), Maine Coastal Program, and Island Institute co-sponsored a forum, Working Waterfront Access 2003, at the Darling Marine Center in […]

From hundreds of small fishing villages to several ports, Maine’s waterfronts are unique resources that offer social, cultural, economic, and environmental benefits. People need access to these waterfronts for different reasons; many depend on access to the waterfront to earn their living, including members of the fishing and aquaculture industries as well as those working […]

Development patterns in coastal communities during the housing boom of the 1990’s and early 2000’s often favored construction of residences featuring large homes on large lots. This approach resulted in the availability of housing stock in those coastal communities that was unaffordable to much of the communities’ workforce. In response, the firefighters, police officers, teachers, […]

Extension Associate Dana Morse is working with Boothbay Harbor fishermen Kelo Pinkham and Stanley Coffin, in their efforts to reduce bycatch, improve energy efficiency, and improve mesh size enforceability in trawl nets. The study, entitled “Sea Trials to Assess Knotless Mesh Codend Selectivity,” is enabled through a $46,180 grant from the Northeast Consortium. The size, […]

Research and extension colleagues in the northeast have teamed up with shellfish farmers to create a network of commercial farms that are doubling as research stations, with the goal of improving shellfish production equipment and husbandry. The NARF-Net project is funded through NOAA Office of Aquaculture and the National Sea Grant program; the Project Leaders […]

Maine Sea Grant recognizes tourism as an important aspect of the coastal economy. Throughout the Gulf of Maine region, tourism offers communities both economic promise and environmental concern. In Maine, the tourism industry and its affiliated support services employ more than fishing, farming, forestry, and aquaculture combined. The region’s fame as a coastal destination requires […]

As interest in recreational opportunities on Maine’s public and private islands continues to grow, recreation management will increasingly depend on science-based information about the relationship between island use and island conditions. Natalie coordinates the new multi-organization island monitoring task force, whose goal is to develop science-based island monitoring methods that will help managers and island […]

In recent years, sea kayaking has been growing in popularity throughout North America and especially in Maine. Sea kayakers are regularly observed along our coastal shores; and sea kayak guides and outfitters are becoming a significant part of the working waterfront, with commercial operations spanning from Kittery to Calais. With such popularity, the potential for […]

The Maine Healthy Beaches Program is a statewide effort to monitor water quality and protect public health on Maine’s coastal beaches. Funded by the US EPA, the program is a unique partnership between the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) and municipalities/state parks, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and citizen volunteers. Since the establishment of […]