Maine Sea Grant

Sarah Gladu Damariscotta River Association Damariscotta, ME The Maine Coastal Observing Alliance (MCOA) consists of nine coastal citizen monitoring groups who collect water samples and analyze pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients (total nitrogen), salinity, and turbidity in eight coastal estuaries and embayments between Casco Bay and Penobscot Bay. This coastwide survey, initiated in 2013, of […]

Bailey Bowden Town of Penobscot Alewife Committee Penobscot, ME There has been a lot of activity in the Bagaduce River watershed, including participation in the SEANET project and two fish passage restoration projects supported by NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint. New fishways at Pierce’s and Wight’s Ponds in Penobscot are part of a focus on restoring alewives […]

Karen Wilson University of Southern Maine In the Penobscot River Estuary, the return of large numbers of river herring coincides with a legacy of mercury contamination from historic industrial activity. Sea Grant funded research has demonstrated that juvenile river herring are spending much longer in the estuary than previously thought (weeks to months) and consuming […]

Meredith White Mook Sea Farm Email Mook Sea Farm Bacteria belonging to the genus Vibrio are found naturally in brackish and marine environments and represent the leading cause of human illness associated with eating raw seafood, including oysters. The recent warming trend in sea surface temperature of the North Atlantic is linked to the spread […]

Glen Melvin Waldoboro Shellfish Committee The Medomak River represents one of the most productive and valuable clam fisheries in Maine, yet many productive areas are closed due to pollution. Recognizing the need to understand and resolve persistent water quality issues, the Town of Waldoboro, Waldoboro Shellfish Committee, Waldoboro Utility District, and the Medomak Valley Land […]

Sara Rademaker American Unagi LLC PO Box 81 Thomaston, ME Email Sarah Rademaker Maine’s multimillion dollar juvenile eel fishing industry currently ships elvers or glass eels to farms in Asia, where they are grown to marketable size and exported back to the U.S. Recognizing an opportunity to provide local, sustainable seafood, Sara Rademaker has made […]

Patrice McCarron Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance Kennebunk, Maine 207.967.6221 Lobsters are alive as they move through the supply chain, from the ocean to the kitchen, and an unfortunate percentage become stressed or injured. According to lobster health expert Dr. Jean Lavallée, between 8% and 15% of lobsters die before they can become food. Lobstermen are […]

Whitley Gilbert School of Marine Sciences University of Maine According to the U.S. Census, Portland, Maine is one of the fastest growing cities in New England. More people typically means changes in land use, such as more pavement and more wastewater, both of which affect coastal water quality. Excess nutrients in estuaries can cause eutrophication […]

Christopher Johnson Sipayik Environmental Department Passamaquoddy Tribe Perry, Maine The Sipayik Environmental Department at Pleasant Point is expanding focus on American eel (Anguilla rostrata), which have been vital to Wabanaki culture and survival for thousands of years. Efforts to maintain and enhance eel populations in the ancestral homeland are critical to the continued sustainability of […]