The future of Maine’s lobster industry may depend on a creature the size of a sesame seed.

Researchers at the University of Maine have discovered that planktonic baby lobsters, or larvae, preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny, calorie-rich zooplankton species, during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives. Their new study upholds a theory advanced by scientists in the past decade, and one that may be relevant to recent declines in Maine’s lobster harvest. 

Scientists have also observed declines in both the availability of this key food source and the number of young lobsters surviving into adulthood in the Gulf of Maine. 

For lobster, the larval stage is a crucial development bottleneck that determines their survival to adulthood. While many researchers have looked at the role of egg production as the main determinant of the size of upcoming harvests, a 91����-led team has been working to provide more insight into how diet determines whether larvae survive into adulthood. 

“We see evidence that larvae are eating Calanus finmarchicus at a greater rate than you would expect if they were just feeding randomly, however we also know that the geographic range of Calanus is receding northward into cooler waters, making it less readily available,” said Alex Ascher, lead research scientist at Quahog Bay Conservancy, who began this work with 91���� as part of his Ph.D. thesis. 

Calanus finmarchicus provides lobster larvae with fatty acids that are energy rich and beneficial for neural development during periods of rapid growth.  Using a newly developed DNA probe, researchers from 91����, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the University of Southern Maine found that 30% of larval and post-larval lobsters sampled had DNA of Calanus finmarchicus in their digestive tracts, whereas this species comprised only a few percent of the available zooplankton.

The decline in this key food source at the southern end of its range in North Atlantic ecosystems is occurring while fewer lobster larvae in the Gulf of Maine are surviving into adolescence, which in turn impacts the future number of adult lobsters available to the fishery. Maine’s lobster harvest has declined by about 40% since its peak in 2016, according to the state’s Department of Marine Resources.

After hatching from eggs on the ocean floor, larvae swim up to the ocean surface. They then drift with currents before settling to the seabed as small juveniles, eventually to become adults some 6-8 years later. Access to nutritious food during the planktonic larval stages can mean the difference between survival and starvation.

These findings also further solidify Calanus finmarchicus as a keystone species, an organism that plays a crucial role in supporting a food chain that includes a diversity of fish and invertebrates, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale. With less energy-rich food availability, lobster larvae have to depend on less nutritious resources, threatening their chance of survival.

Stage one larvae are the most vulnerable, as they are more likely to succumb to starvation compared to older larvae.

“Understanding these larval diets is a fundamental piece of knowledge that helps us to better understand fluctuations, and potentially also predict fluctuations, in the abundance of lobster larvae and future adult lobsters to be caught,” said Ascher.

Ascher is part of a collective effort across Maine and New Hampshire to use new molecular methods to examine larval lobster feeding ecology, including the role of food limitation and the specific impact of Calanus finmarchicus. He collaborated with now retired 91���� marine sciences professor Richard Wahle, Bigelow Laboratory senior research scientists Peter Countway and David Fields, and Rachel Lasley-Rasher of the University of Southern Maine on his latest study.

To identify what lobster larvae were eating, researchers combined two approaches. They first inspected the stomach contents of lobster samples by traditional methods under a microscope. While this approach is very common in diet studies, the squishier organisms without hard parts the lobster consumed cannot always be identified with a microscope alone.

That is why Ascher also examined genetic samples known as environmental DNA (eDNA), allowing him to pinpoint food sources he couldn’t visually discern from the larval stomach contents.

“Combining the two approaches allows us to ground truth visual identifications by comparing them to diet identifications from the eDNA analysis, giving us greater certainty and expanding our coverage,” said Ascher.

The team’s findings were recently published in the open-access journal .

Ascher began the study as part of his Ph.D. thesis completed in 2023 under the Maine eDNA research initiative led by 91����, which engaged other research and education institutions throughout the state and was funded through the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Story by Heather Johnson, EPSCoR Communications Graduate Assistant 

Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu����

Wildlife ecology major Jordan Anderson spent the summer tagging Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers through a Maine Sea Grant internship

While paddleboarding on the ocean last summer, Jordan Anderson was startled when a massive animal leaped from the water nearby. She assumed it was a porpoise. Instead, it was an Atlantic sturgeon — a chance encounter with the species that would become the focus of her research internship a year later.

Sturgeon have existed for nearly 200 million years, swimming alongside dinosaurs and surviving mass extinction events. Commonly referred to as “living fossils,” they retain many of the same physical characteristics as their ancient ancestors. Once abundant, sturgeon species around the world now face conservation threats.

The Atlantic sturgeon is considered threatened or endangered across much of its U.S. range. In partnership with NOAA Fisheries and the Maine Department of Marine Resources, University of Maine researchers are working to better understand movements of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in Maine rivers to inform conservation efforts.

Anderson, whose love of fish can be traced back to childhood trips fishing for brook trout with her father, said she was thrilled when she was selected to contribute to 91����’s sturgeon research for one of Maine Sea Grant’s sea-run fish internships this summer. A senior wildlife ecology major, she said she could not have imagined a more exciting first internship. 

Anderson’s favorite days of her internship were spent helping researchers surgically implant acoustic transmitters in both species of sturgeon in the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers. From watching an eagle take down a heron to feeling spray from the river as a large sturgeon jumped alongside the boat, the fieldwork brought something new every day.

Tagging days began around 6:30 a.m. with the team loading equipment and 300-foot gillnets into a truck. On the river, researchers identified a location to set the nets and checked them every 20 to 30 minutes. The crew repeatedly hauled in the heavy nets to look for sturgeon.

Once a sturgeon was caught, the part Anderson calls “the workup” began. The team examined and measured the fish before attaching a tag that allows researchers to track its movements.

At first, Anderson said she was nervous about holding and working with the fish, describing the experience as similar to holding a baby, only much rougher and slimier. Because Atlantic sturgeon are protected, researchers handle each fish carefully while gathering valuable data. By the end of the internship, she was comfortable assisting with the tagging process and passing tools to researchers, much like an assistant in an operating room.

Despite not pursuing a fisheries concentration in her major, Anderson said the internship opened her eyes to a career path she had not previously considered.

“This internship has made me really love working with fish and thinking about a future working with fish,” Anderson said. “I’ve made a lot of different connections between the Department of Marine Resources, NOAA and working for Sea Grant.”

Beyond helping shape her career interests, Anderson said she has come to understand how the research could contribute to sturgeon conservation in Maine.

“I think the big picture is just how we can best mitigate how humans are affecting sturgeon and also turn back the time and help restore their spawning grounds,” she said. “So far, I think we’re doing a great job. The more we know about them, the more we can help them.”

For Anderson, a chance encounter with a prehistoric fish became an opportunity to contribute to research on one of Maine’s most distinctive species. The experience also gave her a firsthand look at how undergraduate students can contribute to conservation research well before graduation.

Contact: Sophie Liebel, sophie.liebel@maine.edu

Local Catch Network will lead outreach, co-host informational sessions and gather industry input to help shape national seafood strategy.

American fishermen, aquaculture producers, processors and seafood businesses now have a path for improved access to federal funding, technical assistance and new markets through a national collaboration involving the , based at the University of Maine.

An agreement between the and 91���� enables the network to help the recently created connect with fishing communities and better integrate seafood businesses into federal programs and services.

The Local Catch Network will lead industry outreach, host educational webinars and listening sessions, and gather recommendations from seafood harvesters, processors and distributors. The collaboration is intended to strengthen domestic seafood production and processing, support coastal economies and make more American seafood available to consumers.

Established in 2011, the Local Catch Network supports local and community-based seafood systems through technical assistance, business development, research and knowledge exchange. Its more than 2,500 members represent fishing communities across North America. 

The network’s growth and capacity have been supported in part by $2 million in congressionally directed spending secured in 2022 by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. 

“Despite 50 years of progress and recognition that aquatic and marine foods make important contributions to the food and nutrition needs of the nation, ,” said Joshua Stoll, Local Catch Network co-founder and associate professor of marine policy in the School of Marine Sciences. “The Office of Seafood has the potential to be an important course correction that would not only benefit fishing communities and seafood harvesters but also the millions of Americans who stand to gain from the benefits of increasing access to some of the nation’s most nutritious and delicious foods.”

Connecting seafood businesses with USDA programs

The USDA Office of Seafood was announced April 15 following President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” and the passage of federal appropriations legislation.

The office is responsible for coordinating seafood-related work across USDA agencies and helping fishermen and seafood businesses access grants, loans, conservation programs and other services. Its creation marked the first time USDA had established an office focused exclusively on seafood.

Through the agreement, the Local Catch Network will host virtual webinars describing USDA programs available to seafood harvesters, processors and distributors. It will also organize listening sessions where industry members can share concerns, expectations and ideas directly with the Office of Seafood.

“Following the initial announcement of the Office of Seafood, the USDA received hundreds of direct inquiries from domestic seafood harvesters seeking clarity on program eligibility and calling for a targeted seafood marketing strategy,” said Michael Illenberg, interim director of the Office of Seafood. “This new agreement directly addresses those needs, serving as a pivotal step to fully integrate seafood harvesting, processing, and distribution into existing USDA programs and services.”

Bringing industry voices into federal strategy

A national trade panel at the 2026 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle will provide another opportunity for federal officials to engage with commercial harvesters, seafood businesses and other industry leaders. The network will compile the feedback from these activities into a report outlining the seafood sector’s priorities and recommendations.

“This collaboration helps ensure that industry voices remain at the heart of the America First Seafood Strategy, setting clear expectations for support while building a competitive, fair and resilient future for American seafood producers,” said Jessica Gribbon Joyce, Local Catch Network program manager.

USDA is also working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies to develop a broader national seafood strategy. The effort aims to increase domestic processing capacity, promote U.S. fishery and aquaculture products, educate consumers about the health benefits of seafood and increase seafood purchases through federal nutrition programs.

Serving the seafood sector

The agreement expands 91����’s role in supporting the national seafood sector. As Maine’s land-grant university, 91���� contributes expertise in marine science, fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing, workforce development and coastal community engagement.

Stoll and researchers from the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association previously examined USDA’s history of grant funding for the seafood sector. Their analysis helped document gaps in federal support and demonstrate the need to incorporate seafood businesses more fully into USDA programs.

“The USDA and NOAA play an important role in building a resilient seafood sector. Combining access to USDA funding with NOAA’s regulatory oversight offers our fishing communities an opportunity to expand domestic and global access to some of the best seafood on the planet at a critical inflection point for many community-based fishing businesses,” said Elizabeth Dubovsky, strategy director for the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and a co-author of the USDA funding analysis.

Interested parties can sign up for notifications of these Office of Seafood events, outreach, and reports hosted by .

Contact: Jessica Hathaway, jessica.hathaway@maine.edu

91���� is a lead partner in a new that will strengthen New England’s seafood industry through cutting-edge research, technology innovation and workforce development.

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England is led by the Portsmouth-based nonprofit Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems and will bring together leaders from the seafood industry, technology sector, government and research institutions across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island to build a more competitive, resilient and technologically advanced seafood economy.

As a partner in the NSF Seafood Engine, 91���� — the state’s Sea Grant and only institution to have achieved prestigious R1 Carnegie Classification for research productivity and performance — will contribute its world-class expertise in marine science, fisheries, aquaculture, engineering, workforce development and technology commercialization. 

Working alongside regional partners, the state’s flagship will help develop innovative solutions that strengthen the seafood supply chain, support coastal communities and prepare the next generation of seafood and blue economy professionals in Maine and beyond.

91���� oceanography professor Damian Brady and his team at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole will help develop, deploy and test more than a dozen new, low-cost water quality sensors to support scallop, oyster and kelp aquaculture farms across Maine’s coast. These sensors will provide temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll and acidity data in real time. 

Aquaculture farms will use that information to select sites, grow and preserve products and identify warning signs of shellfish diseases and other threats. The work builds on previous efforts from Brady’s team creating a satellite data-based model that is helping oyster farmers select ideal sites for their operations. 

“The ultimate challenge is Maine has 3,478 miles of tidal shoreline, and it’s almost impossible to do water quality testing along such an extensive coastline,” Brady said. “We need ways of partnering with people who are already in the water, and working together with that part of the industry to understand our water quality challenges.” 

Through the NSF Seafood Engine, Brady’s team is partnering with a Bluesonde in Portland, Maine, to develop and deploy the sensors. His team will also work with aquaculture farmers on data collection, empowering them to become citizen scientists. Students will be involved in deploying and testing the sensors, reflecting 91����’s R1 learner-centered mission. 

“We’re going to be deploying these near-shore systems for aquaculturists, but anyone who is utilizing marine resources, including fishermen, is going to benefit.” Brady said. 

The NSF Seafood Engine will initially receive $15 million in total over two years, with the potential to grow to as much as $160 million in federal funding over 10 years as it builds an internationally competitive technology and innovation cluster. This initial NSF investment creates an opportunity to leverage additional public, private and philanthropic support to expand the partnership and accelerate its impact.

The NSF Seafood Engine aims to enhance the competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture, a sector that represents approximately 25% of the nation’s seafood value. In Maine, commercial fisheries generated $619.1 million in 2025, marking the 14th consecutive year that commercial fishery earnings exceeded $500 million.

Technologies developed through the NSF Seafood Engine have the potential to be deployed nationwide, helping strengthen America’s seafood industry and improving its position in the global marketplace.

“Built on the ingenuity and steadfast determination at the heart of America’s oldest commercial enterprise, the Seafood Engine is ready to confront key challenges facing the industry with bold innovation,” said Jake Kritzer, principal investigator of the Seafood Engine and executive director of Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems. 

At the outset, the NSF Seafood Engine will:

• Support research and development projects that bring together seafood harvesters, academic experts and technology companies to build ocean intelligence through advanced sensors deployed from fishing vessels and aquaculture farms.
• Form a consortium of regional seafood apprenticeship programs that will allow new entrants to participate in research projects and help bring innovations into practice.
• Provide funding to blue technology companies that have completed the research phase and are ready to commercialize new products.

Over time, expanded research, workforce development and technology commercialization activities will help reshore American processing of Maine seafood products such as lobster, oysters, mussels, salmon, scallops and other commercially important fisheries, strengthening the seafood supply chain.

Together, these efforts are expected to create new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses throughout New England while helping reduce the nation’s $20 billion seafood trade deficit.

In early summer 2024, the NSF Seafood Engine in New England submitted one of in response to the second NSF Engines funding opportunity. The preliminary proposal was selected as one of . Following a merit review, the NSF Seafood Engine in New England was one of 29 teams to share a detailed presentation about their proposed NSF Engine.

From this process, in two-day site visits with NSF staff and external experts. The NSF Seafood Engine in New England is one of 12 NSF Engines award winners selected from among these finalists.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu 

Understanding the source of stress and disease can be difficult, especially if the subject of stress is a fish, or even thousands of fish. 

Detecting and diagnosing stress and disease is a major challenge for aquaculture farms, where keeping fish happy helps them thrive. In fish, stress can be hard to detect before it becomes problematic, and testing for the source of stress usually requires physical examination or biopsy, which are invasive and often lethal.

An international team of researchers led by the University of Maine is trying to change this by developing noninvasive, rapid tests that can detect stress and disease without touching the fish, just the water in which they swim. 

Scientists from 91����, Dublin City University (DCU) and Queen’s University Belfast, plan to develop a new testing method that uses environmental RNA (eRNA) so aquaculture farmers can monitor fish health more quickly, efficiently and humanely.

“The goal is to get a window into the physiology of the organisms, their health in particular. By looking at what RNA is being shed from their tissues into the environment, eRNA can give us insights into what the fish are doing as biological machines,” said Michael Kinnison, 91���� professor of evolutionary applications and director of the Maine Center for Genetics in the Environment.

Key to this research is a difference between environmental DNA (eDNA) and RNA. DNA within an organism’s cells does not change over an organism’s life or cell to cell — it is the blueprint of life. In contrast, RNA is what turns a general DNA blueprint into the diverse building blocks and processes that give various cell types and tissues their function. Because of this, the RNAs that an animal produces varies depending on where it is in its lifecycle, what is happening in its environment and what processes are underway in its body, such as stress or disease. When animal cells are naturally shed into the environment, their DNA and RNA become eDNA and eRNA, but the eRNA does not last as long. While this means eRNA is harder to detect, it also has the potential to provide a near real-time window into an animal’s condition. 

A major challenge for researchers is linking particular eRNA signals to specific stressors, but pilot data and recent research by others suggest it is possible. For example, researchers in Japan successfully . 

“This hasn’t been done for salmon yet, and it’s just exciting because it means that if we could use these RNAs, we wouldn’t have to kill fish to biopsy them. We might be able to figure out and treat disease before it gets really bad,” said Erin Grey, 91���� assistant professor of aquatic genetics.

In addition to identifying what eRNA signals are tied to salmon stress and disease, the team will use CRISPR-Cas diagnostic technology to develop rapid tests for those eRNA signals. Similar to a COVID test, these tests could allow someone at an aquaculture farm to sample water and quickly identify issues. Early intervention in salmon farming has the potential to improve treatment of fish, allow for more targeted treatment and avoid economic damages that run into the hundreds of millions annually. 

The project is starting with small controlled systems like tanks, and as research progresses, the team hopes to expand to more open systems like net pens. Fish will be sampled in Maine and Scotland at 91����’s Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory and the University of Aberdeen’s Scottish Fish Immunology Centre. The initial focus will be on heat stress and furunculosis, two common challenges experienced by salmon farms. Researchers are working with the salmon aquaculture industry and fish health diagnostics providers to further identify what other pathogens or stressors would be most impactful for further investigation. 

While eRNA technology is in a nascent stage of development, this project brings together the expertise needed to rapidly advance its potential and put it in the hands of food producers. 

“Environmental RNA technology is still at an early stage of development, but its potential is significant. At Queen’s, we will apply advanced genomics and bioinformatics approaches to identify the molecular signatures of stress and disease in salmon,” said Paulo Prodöhl, professor of population and evolutionary genetics from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. “By working closely with colleagues at DCU and 91����, we aim to ensure that this technology moves from proof-of-concept to practical application for the aquaculture industry.”

This research is made possible by ,  a tri-jurisdictional collaboration between the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland which was officially launched in 2006. Under this program  the international project team receives  funding from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA), the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) in Ireland, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

“This funding is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary research,” said DCU School of Biotechnology professor Anne Parle-McDermott. “By combining our molecular expertise with the knowledge and expertise at 91���� and QUB, we are uniquely positioned to tackle one of aquaculture’s biggest challenges.”Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu

Categories:

Blue Economy / News / Research

As the May 1 college decision deadline approaches, students are showing increased interest in academic programs with clear career pathways.

At the University of Maine, that trend is evident across disciplines tied to growing sectors of the U.S. economy, including engineering, health care and biomedical sciences, business, natural resources and environmental sciences, agriculture and food systems, communication sciences and disorders, and biotechnology.

University data highlight several indicators of that demand:

• Mechanical engineering enrollment has increased by more than 30% over the past decade, with a 95% student satisfaction rate.
• The wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology program reports that 95% of graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school, with 82% working in natural resource fields.
• The Maine Business School, which will enroll 330 first-year students, filled nearly half of those seats before April and reports a 94% positive outcome rate.
• In animal and veterinary sciences, about 20% of graduates continue to veterinary or medical school.
• Health-related fields tied to several majors are projected to see continued jobgrowth over the next decade.

Mechanical engineering

91����’s mechanical engineering program, now the university’s largest major, has expanded in response to national demand for engineers in industries including manufacturing, technology and transportation.

Enrollment has increased by more than 30% over the past decade. Graduates are recruited by employers such as Bath Iron Works, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman, Texas Instruments, GE and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The curriculum progresses from foundational coursework in math and physics to advanced engineering applications, with an emphasis on analysis, design and problem-solving. Experiential learning is integrated throughout, with students participating in internships, co-ops and a yearlong senior capstone design sequence focused on design, prototyping and testing.

Students may pursue concentrations such as aerospace engineering, along with minors or certificates in robotics, artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing. The program reports a 95% positive student sentiment rate.

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Wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology

The wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology program has more than doubled in enrollment over the past two decades, reflecting sustained interest in conservation and natural resource careers.

The curriculum emphasizes field-based learning. More than half of courses include outdoor labs, and students complete a required immersive field experience in Downeast Maine that is frequently cited as a defining part of their education. More than 80% of undergraduates report that fieldwork influenced their decision to enroll.

Students gain experience through field surveys, internships and research. 91���� 70% complete field experiences, and more than half participate in faculty-led research. Faculty and students have also produced more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and secured nearly $16 million in research funding during the past five years.

Among graduates, 95% are employed or enrolled in graduate school, and 82% work in natural resource fields.

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Speech, pre-medical and biomedical sciences

91���� is reporting increased interest in programs that prepare students for careers in health care, research and biotechnology, reflecting broader national workforce trends.

Fields such as speech-language pathology and audiology are projected to experience above-average job growth over the next decade, according to federal labor data. Demand is influenced by factors including an aging population and expanded access to care.

Programs in communication sciences and disorders, biology, biochemistry and microbiology provide preparation for graduate study and professional careers, including speech-language pathology as well as medical, dental and veterinary school.

Students frequently participate in faculty-led research, gaining experience that supports applications to graduate programs or entry into the workforce. Faculty say the programs emphasize both academic preparation and applied learning.

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Business

The Maine Business School is nearing capacity for its incoming class, reflecting strong student demand for business education.

The program will enroll 330 first-year students, and nearly half of those seats were filled before April. Administrators say the pace of enrollment indicates sustained interest throughout the admissions cycle.

Students are drawn to the flexibility of the degree, particularly the general business major, which allows exploration across disciplines before selecting a concentration. Finance and marketing remain among the most popular areas of study.

The school reported a 94% positive outcome rate for the Class of 2024, defined as graduates employed, enrolled in graduate school or participating in service programs within six months. Officials say the program is designed to prepare students for a range of careers across industries.

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Animal and veterinary sciences

Enrollment in 91����’s animal and veterinary sciences program has increased since before the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting demand for careers in animal health, veterinary medicine and agriculture.

The program prepares students for careers in veterinary medicine, research and agriculture-related fields. 91���� 20% of graduates continue to veterinary or medical school, while others enter the workforce directly.

Students gain hands-on experience at the university’s J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center, where they work with animals in applied settings and develop practical skills.

All students also participate in research with faculty on topics including animal health, environmental systems and disease. Faculty say the program is structured to support both exploration and career preparation as workforce demand continues to grow.

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Contact: David Nordman, david.nordman@maine.edu 

Last summer, Sofia Diaz Flint spent her days working on a Maine oyster farm, hauling cages and tending shellfish that would not reach the market for another year.

Seeing firsthand how much farmers depend on their crop surviving the winter shaped the direction of her senior capstone project at the University of Maine.

“I worked on an oyster farm and wanted to base my project on oysters,” she said.

Now, Diaz Flint, a marine science major with a concentration in aquaculture, is developing a tool to help Maine oyster farmers monitor oyster health and better predict overwintering survival.

Diaz Flint’s project reflects 91����’s commitment to learner-centered R1, hands-on, real-world research learning opportunities, where undergraduate students work directly with faculty and industry partners to tackle challenges facing Maine communities.

The work comes as oyster farming continues to grow across the state, even as farms remain vulnerable to diseases such as Sudden Unusual Mortality Syndrome, or SUMS, and to seasonal stress during the winter months.

Her project focuses on near-infrared spectroscopy, an analytical method that uses infrared light to measure the chemical composition of organic materials. Aquaculturists, including researchers and farmers, can use the technology to measure lipid reserves in oysters by scanning the tissues of shellfish, allowing them to assess nutritional health of the animal.

“I turned to spectrometry, which involves passing infrared light through tissue samples and analyzing what reflects back to determine chemical concentration,” she said. “From there, I can build a model and use samples from farmed oysters to see whether they are susceptible to dying over the winter or how prepared they are for winter and other environmental stressors.”

Lipids are concentrated energy reserves stored within an oyster’s tissue. They can serve as fuel during winter and early spring if oysters are active but food supplies are short. They may also help oysters resist stress associated with SUMS, which refers to unpredictable die-offs triggered when an oyster’s energy is depleted.

Oysters typically require a two-year culture cycle to reach market size. They must accumulate enough lipids to survive the winter, when cold water temperatures reduce feeding activity.

Paul Rawson, a professor of marine science in the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences and Diaz Flint’s project adviser, said the industry has long sought better ways to understand overwintering success.

“It has long been an interest in the oyster industry to understand what limits overwintering success,” Rawson said. “In Maine, there has always been a need to understand ways to sustain oysters from their first season in the water through the winter to the second season, when they reach market size.”

Although near-infrared spectroscopy has existed for years, Diaz Flint’s project aims to refine the technology to address modern challenges in a changing coastal environment.

“Just by providing a model, it allows scientists, researchers and farmers to base their research on it and learn from it,” Diaz Flint said. “Ultimately, I want to contribute to more resilient and sustainable aquaculture in Maine’s changing coastal environment.”

Story by Alexa Rose Perocillo, news intern

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

Categories:

Blue Economy / Marine Sciences / News / Research

A new teaching and research vessel at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center is expanding student access to the largest ecosystem on Earth: the open ocean.

The new 45-foot vessel is the biggest in the center’s fleet. Previously used as a commercial tuna fishing platform, the boat will support student training, faculty research and workforce development within the School of Marine Sciences and Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station. 

With docking stations at both the Darling Marine Center and in Portland, the vessel will give students and faculty improved access to offshore waters throughout New England, from the Gulf of Maine to Rhode Island. It has considerable range, with the ability to travel up to 100 miles offshore, cruise at 18 knots and carry 700 gallons of fuel.

“A tenet of my teaching philosophy has always been learning by doing,” said Walt Golet, 91���� associate professor of marine science. “This vessel will serve as the perfect platform for our students to do just that. They’ll get to be a part of field-based teaching, workforce skill development and applied research with our faculty, just to name a few. This vessel expands access to the open ocean and the amazing marine life in the Gulf of Maine like never before.”

Depending on the fieldwork, classes of up to 20 students or more can participate at once. Equipped with specialized safety equipment, a fully enclosed wheelhouse, an onboard generator, a heating system and a small galley, the boat is designed for extended trips and comfort, even in challenging weather. It also has two large bait wells, living quarters with four bunks, a head, a roof top crane, a pot hauler and a tuna door that can be used to bring large fish onboard for tagging or serve as a dive entry point.

Golet has already been using the vessel for several undergraduate and graduate courses. The boat’s platform allows students to tag fish and collect data that help track their movements and collect data for fisheries management. Golet, who leads the Pelagic Fisheries Lab is utilizing the vessel to conduct his research on Atlantic bluefin tuna, billfish, sharks and other large migratory species and bring students onboard to participate.

Working alongside faculty, students also assist with deploying gear and learn safety protocols for handling animals, as well as basic vessel and navigation skills — a reflection of 91����’s commitment to learner-centered R1, hands-on, real-world research learning opportunities. 

“Connecting students and stakeholders to coastal and marine resources is what the Darling Marine Center is all about, and this vessel expands the capacity to do that by making hands-on offshore research and learning experiences possible,” said Sean Smith, the center’s director. 

In addition to shark and tuna tagging projects, the vessel will support marine mammal and seabird surveys, fisheries research and other offshore studies. It will also enhance courses included in 91����’s Semester by the Sea program, which brings students from 91����’s Orono campus to the coast for an immersive marine science education.

The vessel was gifted by an anonymous donor who has a passion for cooperative research and education and sought to create more opportunities for 91���� students to experience the ocean firsthand. Its acquisition was a joint effort between the donor and 91����’s College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences as part of the college’s plan to enhance the fleet at the Darling Marine Center and support faculty based in Portland. 

It compliments one of the center’s existing research vessels, the Ira C, in creating a versatile fleet capable of supporting research across a wide range of environments and fields of study — from the Damariscotta River estuary to offshore banks and basins throughout the Gulf of Maine.

Faculty are exploring additional ways they can take advantage of the vessel’s size and range, including collaborative projects across the School of Marine Sciences and outreach opportunities that connect students, alumni and supporters with 91����’s ocean research.

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu

Categories:

Marine Sciences / Outreach / Research

More than 70% of Maine’s fishing value comes from American lobster. The fishery has delivered prosperity for decades, but it also leaves coastal communities exposed if lobster populations falter, ocean conditions shift or markets change.

That pattern is not unique to Maine. For more than 20 years, University of Maine professor of marine sciences Heather Leslie has collaborated with an international group of researchers  studying how coastal communities respond to environmental, economic and political pressures in northwest Mexico. 

Leslie’s research program, based at 91����’s Darling Marine Center, examines how marine ecosystems and the people who are part of them are responding and adapting to environmental and socioeconomic changes.

Supported by the National Science Foundation and other funders, Leslie and her colleagues have shared data, resources and fieldwork across regions, producing a series of co-authored studies examining how the ecological and social characteristics of fisheries and fishing communities shape their vulnerability and adaptability to change, particularly in northwest Mexico.

Together, the research points to a commonality across coastlines, even those as distant as Maine and northwest Mexico: when fishing communities lose variety, in species or in business structure, their resilience declines.

Leslie recently spoke with 91���� News about what the team’s research reveals about risk, resilience and the future of coastal livelihoods. Her comments have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Is having fewer species a hardship for fishing communities?

To focus on the analogy with New England, it used to be that 25 or 30 years ago fishermen in coastal Maine were not just fishing for lobster. They were fishing for finfish and shrimp in the winter time and lobster in the summer. Now more than 70% of fished value on the coast of Maine comes from one single species: the American lobster.

While that’s been a really lucrative and biologically productive fishery over the last couple of decades, we’re also seeing that it can really constrain people’s opportunities to rely so heavily on one species.  

There are a lot of similarities between the communities you study in Mexico and the ones here in Maine, but what are the differences?

One thing that’s different between the two regions is the biological variety. As we move toward the tropics, we tend to see a greater variety of animals and other organisms. Think coral reefs. The poles don’t necessarily have that wide array of species, and we see that when we look at what people fish in Maine versus Mexico. In Maine, particularly now, we have a fairly small set of species that are harvested commercially and recreationally, whereas in Mexico in some places, folks are catching tens of different species each year.

However, we have observed that for better or worse, Mexico, in many places, is starting to look like Maine. And what I mean by that is the number of targeted species is declining, and where and how people can fish is becoming more constrained.

The group’s recent research references the organization of fisheries and how that plays a role in their success. Can you explain the different ways fishermen organize?

In some instances — and this is true in Maine, as well as northwest Mexico — fishing businesses and people are organized as cooperatives and share decisions, expenses and revenues. Another typical way that people organize themselves to fish is through privately held businesses, where one person is leading and financing the operation and hiring other people to fish. 

There also are smaller cooperatives that aren’t as well resourced as the larger ones. And then there are folks who fish and sell their fish on their own; this owner-operator model is the one that most people think of when they think of the coast of Maine and lobsters.

How people organize themselves to fish can play a big role in how they’re able to respond to disturbances in the fishery. We were able to document through close work with communities in different parts of Baja California Sur that individuals who are part of fishing cooperatives have different sources of resilience to change than individuals who are working for private businesses or on their own.

Is one type of organization better than another?

There are financial and logistical advantages to being part of a cooperative, and that’s why they are so prevalent in regions we’ve studied. But there’s also liabilities that cooperatives face that people working in these other organizational structures are not exposed to. One of those liabilities is that large cooperatives tend to have a smaller set of species that they’re focused on, in part because they receive concessions, or exclusive access to specific fishing places, for high value species like lobster.

When conditions change and those species become less accessible to fishermen, cooperatives may be more economically exposed and have fewer options to switch to than other types of fishing organizations.

This , a 91���� alum and University of Rhode Island professor, makes a strong case that it’s not that one of these forms is better than the other, it’s that there are changes that people encounter in the business of fishing, whether it’s economic or environmental or political, where one or the other of these organizational forms tends to be advantageous.

What would you say is different about this collaborative group now compared to a few years ago?

We’ve been working for a long time to understand both the human and environmental dimensions of small-scale fisheries in northwest Mexico and to generate knowledge that can be used to support management and conservation in that region and in coastal places all around the world. I’m really proud of . It’s a great example of how we’ve been able to work together as a team, including people from lots of different disciplines. It also spans a really important time period, the global pandemic, and also a time of big political and economic change in Mexico.

What’s new is our ability to capture these big changes, socio-economically and politically, as well as environmentally, and to work together in a way that really reflects the richness and diversity of expertise that members of our team have.

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu

In Maine’s warmer waters, oysters grow briny and firm, feeding on algae and plankton. Their cycle from hatchery to bay is only as successful as their location. Known as filter feeders, oysters’ size and flavor is fully reliant on the nutrients available in the water surrounding them. 

Water depth, temperature and circulation set the stage for ocean ecosystems and can shift dramatically within a few miles; Maine’s coastline measures about 3,400. 

This fickle business has grabbed the attention of University of Maine researchers and aquaculture specialists working to strengthen Maine’s blue economy.  

NASA and U.S. Geological Survey satellites have been recording temperature and other data from Maine’s waters for years. Using that, 91���� researchers are developing an online tool that will allow growers to click on a coastal location and receive an estimate for oysters’ time-to-market. Prospective farmers are already using an that shows average sea surface temperatures in locations throughout the Gulf of Maine since 2013.

“Oyster growth relies on two things: food availability and temperature,” said lead researcher Tom Kiffney, a postdoctoral researcher at 91����’s Aquaculture Research Institute. “Our model combines data on both to make a prediction about how long it would take oysters to grow. It takes some risk away when selecting a future farm site.”

Kiffney and Damian Brady, professor of marine sciences at 91����, combined resources from the NASA-USGS Landsat satellite and the European Sentinel-2 satellite to form the foundation of their upcoming online tool and , published in the journal Aquaculture. Their model is able to predict how quickly eastern oysters reach market size by feeding it information on sea surface temperature and organic matter.

They analyzed 10 years of Landsat data from 2013-23 to establish average temperature patterns along the coast, while Sentinel-2 imagery added estimates of chlorophyll and nutrient presence. Brady said they validated the model against seven years of field data to prove its accuracy.

“To get an aquaculture lease is a long and arduous process,” Brady said. “Once you get a lease, you cannot simply move it somewhere else, so getting as much information about your site up front is crucial.”

Diversifying Maine’s blue economy 

An industry that has increased in value 78% between 2011-21, oyster farming has become one alternative to catching lobsters. While oysters will likely never reach the lobster industry’s peak of $750 million, Brady said it has the potential to grow into the tens of millions of dollars. 

He added that diversity in Maine’s blue economy makes it more resilient to change and allows people who work on the waterfront to have alternative options for revenue if one aspect of the coastal economy experiences disease or habitat changes, such as those faced by lobster populations in recent years. 

Lobster and oyster culturing also occur in different environmental conditions, further diversifying Maine’s coastal economy. Lobsters thrive in colder waters, whereas oysters — while able to grow in a range of conditions — grow faster in warmer waters.

Oysters also aren’t resource limited like lobsters, whose populations fluctuate year to year depending on the ecosystem. Oysters are able to be cultivated as long as there is space in the water that is available and permissible.

In addition to creating a web tool that will be widely accessible to oyster farmers, the researchers help teach workshops through Maine’s Aquaculture in Shared Waters program on how to interpret and apply temperature and water clarity data to sites.

Read the full story on . 

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu