Coastal Ecosystems

Maine’s extensive coastline varies from sand dune systems and barrier beaches in the south, to rocky peninsulas and islands in the central portion of the state, to the steep cliffs and rugged shores Downeast. Large bays, salt marshes, mud flats, beaches, rocky intertidal zones, and rivers and streams support commercial fisheries and tourism, all of which depend on clean water, plentiful marine resources, and diverse wildlife. Our coastal ecosystems are relatively intact, a situation that presents challenges as well as opportunities for innovative management and restoration. Healthy ecosystems are the foundation for the future of the people in the region.

Our coastal ecosystems work is designed to inform and improve state and local ecosystem management efforts through research, monitoring, facilitation, and science communication. Our research investments in this focus area are as diverse as the ecosystems in the state, with emphasis on applied research that has the potential to address complex challenges. Water quality, species-specific research and habitat monitoring and restoration, along with efforts to identify and protect ecosystem services are major priorities for our work in this focus area.

Our goal

Coastal ecosystems are healthy, connected, and functional. People understand the links between ecosystem function and resilient communities and support ecosystem stewardship activities.

Our objectives

American Lobster Initiative (ALI)

The Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative (ALI), funded by the NOAA National Sea Grant Program, is addressing critical knowledge gaps about American lobster and its iconic fishery in a dynamic and changing environment.

Marine Invasives

The Beaches Conference

Ecosystem Health Research

Navigating the New Arctic – NNA Lobster Network
Maine Sea Grant supports lobster research that increases our understanding of the impact of ecological change on industry and the people who rely on lobster to make a living. One example, in which we collaborate with the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, the School for Marine Sciences, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and other institutions, is the capacity and facilitation we provide to the multi-partner NSF-funded project called Rapid Arctic change and its implications for fisheries and fishing communities of the western North Atlantic.
Methane emissions and carbon sequestration in tidally restricted salt marshes (Johnson)

Research Priority Setting

Maine Sea Grant staff frequently provide group process facilitation for municipal, state, federal or tribal resource agency planning and research priority-setting activities related to ecosystem health. Examples include facilitation for the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) efforts to draft or update management plans for commercial species and an inter-agency state and federal working group supporting Atlantic salmon research and management. Sea Grant extension staff also provide facilitation and technical support for municipal planning activities and community listening sessions, such as those related to shellfish co-management and aquaculture siting.

Water Infrastructure

Alicia Shrestha’s blog about building capacity for coastal resilience in Downeast Maine

Emerging Contaminants

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) are a broad group of chemicals that have been detected in increasing concentrations in the nation’s surface water, groundwater and aquatic ecosystems, posing risks to both human health and the environment. They are present in a wide range of materials, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, household cleaners, industrial chemicals like per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), lawn care and agricultural products, and microfibers. In response, the National Sea Grant Network is expanding its research efforts to focus on CECs and supporting projects that address local needs. Through partnerships with Maine state agencies and academic institutions, Maine Sea Grant is engaged in this effort to support research and monitoring of CECs, particularly in coastal and estuarine environments. By addressing region-specific concerns, Sea Grant aims to provide essential information to help mitigate the impacts of these contaminants on ecological and human health.

Marine Debris

Marine Debris website
Burkholder/Byron 2024-2026 Inviting conversation on a daunting topic: the role of microplastics in microbial safety of marine foods

Research

Resources

Sea-run fish
Downeast Fisheries Partnership
Maine Sea Grant extension staff participate in and support the work of the Downeast Fisheries Partnership (DFP), which formed in 2014 to strengthen Downeast Maine communities by restoring a strong and resilient ecosystem and regional fisheries economy. The DFP is composed of nonprofit partners with expertise and experience working with and to support fish, fishermen, fisheries, food systems, and community economics.

Research

Farmed and Wild Seaweed

Extension

Marine extension staff are collaborating with the Maine Seaweed Council, wild harvest and cultured seaweed industry members, and researchers at the University of New England and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, to document and formalize industry best practices for seaweed harvest and culture in alignment with UN Sustainable Development goals. The goal is to produce an educational publication that will help to support and reinforce long-term stewardship practices for seaweed resources and highlight sustainability efforts to the public.

Seaweed-related Research

Bigelow seaweed research
CRAASH research, Klemmer
Kelp Forest research, Rasher
- “Kelp collapsing on Southern Maine Coast” – Island Institute
- “Maine’s kelp forests face widespread collapse as oceans warm” – Boston Globe
DV-16-13 Assessing the ecological and economic impacts of Chondrus crispus: the rise of Maine’s new foundation species, Steneck

Research

Methane emissions and carbon sequestration in tidally restricted salt marshes

Collaboration with Wabanaki partners

Through research, monitoring, outreach, facilitation, education, and science communication, Maine Sea Grant collaborates on a number of sea-run fish restoration projects with indigenous partners, including the Penobscot Indian Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and other members of the Wabanaki Confederacy whose homelands include territories in what we now call Maine.

Sea-run fish internship partnership

Each summer since 2020, the joint Maine Sea Grant / NOAA Fisheries Undergraduate Internship in Sea-run Fish Research program has offered 13 weeks of field work, lab work, and hands-on learning experiences, as well as professional development activities focused on science communication and training on working with diverse audiences. At the end of their internship, interns present their findings at a student symposium. The Penobscot Indian Nation has been a core partner in the program, hosting students working on Tribal fisheries science and management, compiling resources about of the hydroelectric dam licensing process in Maine and the influence on cultural and sustenance rights of the Tribe, and conducting water quality monitoring activities throughout the Penobscot watershed and tribal trust lands.

PIN Atlantic salmon decision-making tools

Maine Sea Grant extension staff have been supporting the Penobscot Indian Nation to develop an Atlantic Salmon decision-making tool to fill data gaps related to habitat productivity and suitability. They are striving to develop models of juvenile Atlantic Salmon productivity that incorporate existing population datasets (juvenile density, stocking, redds) with physical, chemical, and thermal habitat features to predict juvenile production, above and below Matagamon Lake. For more information see, Restoring Atlantic Salmon and Reviving Tribal Connections in the Penobscot River Watershed (scroll down to Penobscot Nation Projects).

Sipayik/Passamaquoddy sea-run fish restoration

Science communication

Interpretive panels (with Chris Johnson)