John Anderson William H. Drury Chair in Ecology and Natural History College of the Atlantic 207.801.5717 Herring gulls and great black-backed gulls, once so ubiquitous they were routinely killed by wildlife officials, lately have experienced catastrophic declines throughout their range. Because both species of gull are found across much of the northern hemisphere, little has […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
Ian Bricknell Aquaculture Research Institute University of Maine Parasitic copepods known as sea lice are the major cause of financial loss to the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry. Salmon farmers in the USA have worked with resource agencies for over a decade to implement integrated pest management plans that include routine monitoring of farmed fish, chemical […]
Read more
Dwayne Shaw Downeast Salmon Federation 207.483.4336 info@mainesalmonrivers.org On the third Friday in April, the Downeast Salmon Federation hosts a community smelt fry to celebrate spring and the annual harvest of rainbow smelt, a native sea-run fish. Friends, family, and visitors gather next to the Wild Salmon Resource Center on the banks of the Pleasant River. […]
Read more
Nick Brown Cooperative Aquaculture Research Institute University of Maine Sea urchins are harvested for their edible sex organs, known as uni in Japan and sushi restaurants, where they are highly valued. In the U.S., wild sea urchin fisheries exist in Maine, Southern New England, California, and the Pacific Northwest. In Maine, the fishery for the […]
Read more