Habitat Mooring System Deployment and News Conference Wednesday July 28, 10:30 a.m.

Contact:  Cathy Billings, University of Maine Lobster Institute
(207) 581-2751 or (207) 949-2028 (cell)

Please note: photos are available upon request

SEAL HARBOR — The town of Mt. Desert will be the first to use a unique mooring system that creates a habitat for lobsters and other marine life.  The harbormaster, Shawn Murphy, will accept donation of the Habitat Mooring System (HMS 4000) on Wednesday July 28, 10:30 a.m., at the Seal Harbor town wharf.

Stewart Hardison of The Wind Reef Group, LLC will present HMS 4000 to the town.  Murphy, Hardison and others will deploy it in the harbor and answer questions about the habitat and its potential impact at a news conference, also scheduled for the town wharf.

Hardison’s company, based in Orono, designed the system with assistance from University of Maine engineers and marine scientists.  The mooring was manufactured at American Concrete in Veazie.

A portion of the proceeds from all sales of the Habitat Mooring System will be donated to the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, to support research and outreach work related to the lobster industry.

Several people involved in this project are available for interviews in advance of Wednesday’s event; they will also be present on Wednesday:

  • Stewart Hardison – Founder, Wind Reef Group & inventor of Habitat Mooring System (607) 967-2751
  • Prof. Ian Bricknell – Chief Scientist,Wind Reef Group & Professor of Aquaculture Biology at the University of Maine (207) 581-4315/4430
  • Prof. Robert Bayer – Executive Director, Lobster Institute – University of Maine (207) 581-2785
  • Sean MacDonald –Vice President, American Concrete Industries, (207) 947-8334
  • Shawn Murphy, Mount Desert Harbormaster, (207) 276-5737