Maine Sea Grant

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 […]

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 […]

David Carlon Bowdoin College The Benthic Ecology Meeting is an international conference that convenes scientists, stakeholders, managers, and citizens in a unique and structured environment. The format of the meeting and associated events provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, dissemination of information, and building of professional relationships. The 2016 meeting took place in […]

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 […]

Ruth Hallsworth Senator George J. Mitchell Center University of Maine Email Ruth Hallsworth Maine has a wealth of water resources with 5,800 lakes, 32,000 miles of scenic and industrial rivers, and significant estuaries and coastline. Lakes cover almost 5% of the total state area. Together, forested wetlands and freshwater wetlands comprise almost 25% of the […]

In July 2015, Maine Maritime Museum opened Lobstering and the Maine Coast, a renovated and expanded permanent exhibit showcasing the Maine lobster industry’s history, current operations, and future. It is the largest and most extensive exhibit of its kind in Maine. Much has changed in the world of Maine lobster since the Museum first created […]

Haley Viehman University of Maine Offshore renewable energy has the potential to contribute to the resilience of coastal communities. Realizing this potential requires a transition from pilot projects to commercial-scale deployments. Collaboration between researchers from multiple disciplines, project developers, regulatory agencies, local industry, and communities is becoming recognized as a prerequisite to these larger projects, […]