E-17-02 Large-scale culture methods for blue mussel seed production in Maine and the Northeast: experimental laboratory & field trials

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 8, 2018

Brian Beal
Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research

Demand for mussels in the Northeast exceeds the current domestic supply. In 2015, nine million pounds of live mussels were imported from farms in Canada, especially Prince Edward Island. This represents about half of the U.S. market, and demand is projected to increase by nearly one-third in the next decade. Seed production (larval or juvenile shellfish provided to commercial aquaculturists for “grow-out”) is the main factor limiting expansion of mussel aquaculture in the United States, in part because the success of capturing wild seed or “spat” varies widely in space and time. Using a combination of laboratory experiments and field trials, Beal will evaluate different methods of collecting and culturing mussel seed (including cryopreservation or freezing) at a large scale, and compare the efficacy of different ropes used for settling larvae.

Two-year project, NOAA Sea Grant National Strategic Initiative in Aquaculture funds: $249,238