Research

E-16 Arctic surf clam: A new candidate species to diversify and advance sustainable domestic aquaculture in Maine and the Northeast U.S.

Brian Beal Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research & Education University of Maine at Machias The goal of this project is to increase the supply, quality, and species diversity of U.S. seafood through pilot and commercial-scale culture of Arctic surf clams. Arctic surf clams are bivalve mollusks with a delicious flavor and notable bright red […]

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R-16-05 Lost to the sea: ancient coastal heritage

Alice R. Kelley School of Earth and Climate Sciences & Climate Change Institute University of Maine Joseph T. Kelley University of Maine Daniel F. Belknap University of Maine Arthur Spiess Maine Historic Preservation Commission Archaeologists have documented approximately 2,000 Native American shell middens along the coast of Maine. The piles of oyster and clam shells, […]

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DV-16-22 Student shellfish aquaculture and ecological monitoring initiative

Andrew McCullough Brunswick High School Email Andrew McCullough To become good environmental stewards and gain knowledge of viable economic opportunities, students need opportunities to learn about their local ecosystem and natural resources. The project leader will provide Brunswick High School students with the hands-on experience and curriculum to directly learn about an important local marine […]

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DV-14-17 Testing diets for American eel aquaculture

Sara Rademaker American Unagi, LLC Maine has unique access to juvenile wild American eels (glass eels or elvers), which support a global eel aquaculture industry. Maine’s multimillion dollar elver fishery currently ships its glass eels to farms in Asia. Growing out glass eels to market size here can increase the value of eels nine-fold. In […]

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DV-15-04 The range, prevalence, and abundance of codworm in the Gulf of Maine

Carrie J. Byron University of New England 207.602.2287 Pseudoterranova decipiens, also known as codworm or sealworm, is a parasitic marine nematode that affects invertebrates (such as copepods), seals, and more than 75 species of fish including commercially important species such as Atlantic cod, halibut, yellowtail flounder, and windowpane flounder. Infection of these fish species presents both […]

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DV-16-23 The Coastal Science Academy

Colleen Haskell Downeast Institute Email Colleen Haskell In the Downeast Institute’s Coastal Science Academy, teachers and educators from Washington County learned various methods to engage their students in marine science projects that preserve natural marine and coastal resources. Nine participants made their own sediment sieving boxes and core sampling tools, learned to use these tools, […]

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DV-14-03 Identifying hake species in Maine markets

Anna Bass University of New England 207.602.2481 Like other ground or bottom-dwelling fish such as cod, haddock, and flounder, hake is a popular food fish. The name “hake” describes a number of different species—red, white, and long-finned hake, which are more closely related to cod, and silver hake or whiting—yet markets and menus typically just use […]

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R-10-10 Emergency surveillance monitoring for MSX disease

Deborah Bouchard Animal Health Laboratory University of Maine 207.581.2767 deborah.bouchard@maine.edu   MSX (Happlosporidium neslonii) is a parasite that infects adult oysters, killing as much as 30% in a single oyster bed. Although MSX has been present in Maine before, in 2010 a large-scale outbreak occurred in the Damariscotta River, the heart of Maine’s oyster growing […]

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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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