Diadromous Program at Maine Sea Grant

Project Title: Diadromous Program at Maine Sea Grant
Project Location: Maine Sea Grant, University of Maine, Orono, ME
Project Leader: Justin.Stevens@maine.edu, 207-581-1434
Project Time Frame: May 2024 – August 2024 (flexible with student/mentor schedules)
Total Hours: up to 480
Semester Hour Allocation: 40 hours per week
Pay Rate: $17/hour

Maine Sea Grant is currently supporting the Penobscot Indian Nation to develop a water management plan and alternative fish passage designs for Matagamon Dam located in the East Branch Penobscot River, Maine. This area is the historical lands of the PIN and the tribe currently has reservation land bordering Matagamon Lake. The dam influences the water regime for the watershed and fish passage for sea-run species such as the Endangered Atlantic Salmon. The river is also juvenile rearing habitat for ATS as well as resident cold-water fish such as Eastern Brook Trout and Land-locked salmon.

We propose 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: 1) describe the modern variability of juvenile Atlantic Salmon production within the EBPR, 2) evaluate parameters that correlate to the observed variation, and 3) develop a predictive model to estimate and summarize potential juvenile ATS production throughout the EBPR (above and below Matagamon Lake).

The intern would assist in:

  • Literature reviews related to cold-water fish habitat requirements
  • Field data collection
  • Data entry, analysis, and summation, and develop subject literature reviews for the project

Opportunities include:

  • Exposure to a wide range of fisheries topics related to ecosystem monitoring, climate variability, and trophic ecology
  • Developing essential laboratory and analytical skills
  • Working independently with guidance from the Principal Investigators
  • Maintaining detailed databases, conducting data QC/QA, providing the written/graphical summaries of the data
  • Interaction with the larger University research community