Healthy Communities

Can 1-year Old Spisula Solidisima (Atlantic Surf Clam) be a Cherry Stone Alternative? A New Aquaculture Species for Maine?

Project Description A healthy and diverse shellfish aquaculture industry in Maine is important to local economies, seafood production, job creation, and ecosystems. This project evaluates the Atlantic surf clam, S. solidissima, as a potential species worthy of introduction into the Maine shellfish aquaculture industry. As the aquaculture industry continues to grow, shellfish farmers are interested […]

Bioactive Components from Seaweed Species that Could be Beneficial to Human Health

Project Description Sea creatures are the largest untapped source of bioactive compounds. The overall goal of this project is to develop value-added products from wild and farm-raised Maine seaweeds for human consumption. Project personnel are working with wild harvested seaweeds from Maine and are analyzing the nutrient and bioactive profiles to better understand the current […]

Developing Value-Added Products from Green Crab

Project Description The overall goal of this project is to develop value-added products from invasive green crabs. Researchers are working on identifying and extracting functional ingredients and/or bioactive proteins and compounds from green crab biomass that would identify the crab as a useful species. Specific goals for green crab research: To develop appropriate methods to […]

Nutrient Compositional Analysis of Seaweed Samples

Project Description Seaweeds are known to absorb excess nutrients from the water in which they grow. Waste water effluents in Maine (and elsewhere) often carry excessively high levels of nutrients, which cause eutrophication of the ecosystem. Growing seaweeds in effluent affected waters may help to reduce the effects of eutrophication. This project aims to determine […]

Assessment of Indicator Bacteria within the Surface Biofilm of Sugar Kelp (Saccharina Latissima) Along a Seaward Gradient in from the Mouth of the Saco River

Project Description This project aims to determine the relationship between fecal indicator bacteria present in seawater and those found on the surface biofilm of kelp. During the 2016 and 2017 summer seasons, five experimental sugar kelp stations were established, running along east-west and north-south transects moving away from the mouth of the Saco River. Stations […]

Identifying New Culture Candidates Among Maine’s Shellfish Species: Targeting Arctic Surf Clams

Project Description Arctic surf clams are a commercial species only in Atlantic Canada, although their distribution ranges from Rhode Island to Labrador. Researchers have been culturing this species, Mactromeris polynyma, at UMaine–Machias’ Marine Science Field Station at the Downeast Institute since 2012, thanks to an NSF grant (PFI-BIC: Award # 1317268). While project personnel have […]

Governance in Maine’s Aquaculture Industry

Project Description Aquaculture in Maine is a relatively new and rapidly developing industry and the governance of this industry is generally understudied. The governance system enables or constrains the behavior of actors embedded within social-ecological systems, and is a main driver of social sustainability and social carrying capacity of sustainable ecological aquaculture. Key aspects of […]

Fundamentals of Sea Vegetable Processing for Production of Sustainably Dried Kelp and Value-Added Extracts

Project Description Sugar kelp is a globally important seafood and a nutritious source of dietary fibers, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, calcium, magnesium, and iodine. Apart from dietary value, kelp is extensively cultivated for polysaccharides such as carrageenan, alginates, and fucoidan, which are used in emulsifying, food thickening, cosmetics, and the paper industry. The quality […]

Investigating Culture and Products of Sea Vegetables

Project Description The objective of this project is to investigate the chemical composition of macroalgae for safe food production and to identify and optimize production of antimicrobial compounds present in local macroalgae. Aquaculture of macroalgae on the coast of Maine produces 33,000 pounds of biomass per acre and consumes excess nutrients and CO2 from seawater […]

Synthesis and Evaluation of Cellulose Nanofiber Coatings to Prevent Biofouling

Project Description Marine biofouling on aquaculture infrastructure increases fuel and maintenance costs for the aquaculture industry. Current methods to prevent biofouling do not fully prevent organism attachment or use chemicals that are toxic to biofouling organisms as well as other marine life. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) is a non-toxic material that is economically available at a […]

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