Karen Wilson University of Southern Maine Data for management of juvenile American Shad and river herring (alosines) in the Kennebec River is generally limited to abundance as determined by Maine Department of Marine Resource (MDMR’s) annual beach seine surveys. This project will augment these data by leveraging MDMR’s survey to collect fish samples for a […]
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Jason Goldstein Wells NERRS Climate change is facilitating the range expansion of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) into the Gulf of Maine, which threaten native habitats, species, and fisheries, and may also become a novel marine resource in the area. The goal of this project is to develop and implement a comprehensive monitoring plan for assessing […]
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Alison Bates Colby College State and federal policies that encourage offshore wind as a solution to meet clean energy targets have set in motion significant interest in developing offshore wind throughout the U.S. In Maine, fishermen have expressed a strong interest in the ability to visualize hypothetical offshore wind technologies to better understand how offshore […]
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Emily Farr Manomet Anadromous (sea-run) river herring play a key role in freshwater and marine ecosystems, are economically and culturally important to Maine’s coastal communities, and support a traditional commercial fishery. To inform management of these important species, fisheries managers rely on data collected by harvesters and communities. This project will support community-driven research to […]
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Kristin Burkholder University of New England Microplastics are ocean pollutants that reach high concentrations in bivalve shellfish, such as oysters. Pathogens in ocean water can attach to buoyant microplastics, and microplastics may aid microbial entry into marine foods. This study will compare microplastic loads in oysters reared in traditional plastic netting versus plastic-free gear, and […]
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Katherine Mills Gulf of Maine Research Institute Kanae Tonkunaga Gulf of Maine Research Institute David Reidmiller Gulf of Maine Research Institute Ben Martens Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming places in the ocean. Marine fish and invertebrate communities are likely to change, as species tolerant to warming waters […]
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Lisa Kerr Gulf of Maine Research Institute Katherine Mills Gulf of Maine Research Institute Warming in Maine’s coastal waters is reshaping the ecosystem and impacting key fishery resources. In this study, researchers will work closely with stakeholders to identify what information they need in order to support fisheries decision-making. Using an approach called integrated ecosystem […]
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Beverly Johnson Bates College Claire Enterline Maine Coastal Program, Department of Marine Resources Salt water marshes are known carbon sinks, providing habitat for organisms that absorb carbon from the atmosphere. However, when road crossings or other structures reduce the amount of tidal water flowing into and out of a salt marsh, the habitat may […]
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Christoph Aeppli Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Perfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are becoming more prevalent in Maine’s land and water. This project includes field studies to measure levels of PFAS in coastal marine ecosystems and investigate how those chemicals make their way into estuaries. In a laboratory setting, the researchers […]
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Alison Bates Colby College Coastal and communities are increasingly faced with calls for offshore wind that may impact livelihoods or cultural well-being. Impacts to various ocean users and marine-dependent communities – both in tangible ways, such as lost revenue or increasing space-use conflict, or in non-quantifiable ways, such as changing the seascape or cultural practices, […]
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