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 […]
Read more
Project Description Project personnel are assessing the effects of increasing ocean temperatures and acidification on calciferous invertebrates to understand how environmental changes can alter the health and physiology of aquaculture species. Many of the physiological measurements and assessments are hampered by small sizes. Researchers are using the American lobster as a calciferous decapod standard model […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
Project Description The Damariscotta River has been a successful oyster aquaculture area since the mid-1980s with other bivalve aquaculture beginning in the river in more recent years. Due to its unique bathymetry, the Damariscotta River forms three basins with dramatically different conditions; water temperature differences can be as much as 10 °C between the upper […]
Read more
Project Description The objective of this project is to characterize population-specific stress tolerance and destructiveness of green crabs from four genetically different populations, and to quantify and identify cellular mechanism of altered energy use in clams when exposed to a predator. The green crab, Carcinus maenas, is a globally invasive species native to Europe. It […]
Read more
Project Description Sea lice are a major parasitic burden on aquaculture. Most fish species are parasitized by members of the Siphonostomatoida order of copepods, containing around 75% of those that infect fish. Characteristically, they have siphon-like jaws and a filament to allow attachment to the fish. Although native to Maine, these parasites were not a […]
Read more
Project Description Estuarine circulation is the mechanism governing long-term material transport in estuaries, such as plankton, suspended sediment, and pollutants, and is important to understand for aquaculture sustainability in estuaries under environmental change. Many studies have shown the lateral variability of this transport can vary significantly across the estuary and during different forcing conditions. The […]
Read more
Project Description Green crabs are the model species for an invasive organism. They have major economic and environmental impacts on Maine’s ecosystems by predating many aquacultured organisms (such as soft shelled clams) and destroying salt marshes and infrastructure by burrowing under moorings, quays, etc. Green crabs have been established in the state since the 1800’s […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more