Current Projects

DV-13-07 Assessing halibut life history and habitat preferences

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 […]

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DV-13-12 Developing an ultrasound telemetry tag for marine crustaceans

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 […]

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DV-13-13 Food Web Dynamics in Cobscook Bay

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 […]

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DV-13-14 Invasive Green Crab Impacts on Salt Marshes

Dan Belknap School of Earth and Climate Sciences University of Maine 207.827.7598 belknap@maine.edu The current explosive population growth of the non-native European green crab (Carcinus maenus) is implicated in the widespread destruction of juvenile clams, eelgrass beds, and possible impacts on mussels and lobsters in Maine. Each of these effects has critical consequences for seafood […]

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DV-14-02 Metal Accumulation by Seaweeds at the Callahan Mine Superfund Site

Ian Medeiros College of the Atlantic 774.218.8426 Nishanta Rajakaruna College of the Atlantic Seaweeds harvested and grown off the Maine coast support a strong and expanding seafood industry. Marine macroalgae have many unique characteristics, including the ability to absorb or bioaccumulate heavy metals. Whether or not these metals are available to consumers or have toxic […]

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R-10-08 Aquatic animal health ecology of an industry-deployed integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system

Ian Bricknell Aquaculture Research Institute University of Maine Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) combines the cultivation of finfish, which require food additions, with species such as shellfish and seaweed. The concept is that orrganic particulate wastes like uneaten fish food are removed by the filter-feeding shellfish, and nutrients are taken up by the seaweeds. In this […]

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R-12-08 Coastal infrastructure resilience in a changing climate

Esperanza Stancioff University of Maine Cooperative Extension & Sea Grant 377 Manktown Road Waldoboro, ME 04572 207.832.0343 Email Esperanza Stancioff Shaleen Jain & Alex Gray University of Maine Nirajan Dhakal Auburn University Maine Sea Grant’s work with town and city officials in the Building a Resilient Coast project affirmed their need to address the effects […]

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R-12-14 Aquaculture in Shared Waters

Teresa Johnson University of Maine School of Marine Sciences Income diversity for commercial fishermen in Maine is an important issue, given their overwhelming reliance on the American lobster. Access to permits, and allocations of resources like scallops, groundfish, urchins or shrimp are scarce, and the ability for an individual fisherman to move from one fishery […]

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R-12-02 General circulation and exchange between isolated regions in Casco Bay

Neal Pettigrew School of Marine Sciences University of Maine Orono, ME 04469 207.581.4384 Email Neal Pettigrew Casco Bay is a dynamic coastal region that hosts the greater Portland metropolitan area, Maine’s largest city. Casco Bay is home to both endangered and commercially important marine species, is used for many recreational and tourism activities, and is […]

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