Maine Sea Grant

Jennifer Couture Phillips University of Maine School of Marine Sciences The soft-shell clam fishery on the coast of Maine has significant economic and cultural value to the state. In recent years, community fishery managers in areas where clam populations have declined have taken to seeding hatchery-raised juvenile clams onto mud flats to bolster populations. One threat […]

Jesica Waller School of Marine Sciences University of Maine 646.573.3230 The input of carbon into the atmosphere from human activities has caused ocean warming and acidification on a global scale. The Gulf of Maine is warming at an alarming rate, with the warmest year on record having occurred in 2012. It is not certain how […]

Monique Coombs Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Email Monique Coombs Shellfish landings are a significant contributor to Maine’s economy: in 2015, the value of landings from clams, mussels, and oysters was more than $29 million dollars according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. This value could be even higher if we addressed threats to the […]

Yong Chen University of Maine Katherine Thompson Maine DMR The Gulf of Maine northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) supports an important fishery in Maine. Since 2010, however, the stock has declined precipitously, and the fishery has been closed since 2013. It is believed that changes in shrimp habitat as well as high fishing pressure are to […]

Jason Goldstein Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve 342 Laudholm Farm Rd Wells ME 04090 In recent decades, landings of Jonah crab have more than quadrupled in New England. During harvesting, it is a common practice for fishermen to remove the claws of freshly caught Jonah crabs and subsequently return them to their environment. The biological […]

Julia Beaty University of Maine 774.994.2542 juliabeaty@maine.edu The Atlantic halibut population in the Gulf of Maine collapsed in the late nineteenth century. As a result, little information is available on the life history, stock structure, and habitat usage of this species in the Gulf of Maine. This information is critical for setting appropriate regulations for the halibut […]

Markus Frederich Marine Science Center University of New England 207.602.2406 As filter feeders, blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) are at particular risk of accumulating aquatic pollutants. Municipal wastewater effluent, commonly discharged into marine environments, can contain pollutants, including heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and endocrine-disruptors, as well as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Examining this waste in […]

Walter Golet University of Maine 207.228.1695 walter.golet@maine.edu Crustaceans, including lobster and crab, support Maine’s commercial fishing industry and the coastal economy. Monitoring lobster health and behavior is crucial to anticipating future changes in the fishery, and lobsters serve as a kind of indicator of the overall health of the Gulf of Maine. Observing the physical […]

Carrie Byron Marine Sciences Department University of New England 508.498.4515 cbyron@gmri.org Cobscook Bay hosts a diverse marine ecosystem, many components of which support commercial, recreational, and sustenance fisheries as well as aquaculture and tidal energy generation. With some of the fisheries on the decline, local communities and resource managers could benefit from a clearer picture […]