Maine-eDNA Announces FY21 Seed Grant Recipients

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.

January 20, 2021 Maine-eDNA, News

Two new seed grants have been awarded by the Maine-eDNA program for FY 2021:

1) Expanding eDNA research and applications in Maine’s municipal fisheries: A proposal to Maine EPSCoR from Manomet and Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries – $20,000

We propose to test the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring in management of an emerging intertidal fishery for the northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria). The application of recent advances in the use of eDNA to detect shellfish spawning events in Maine (Bayer et al. 2019) will benefit existing quahog research projects managed collaboratively with harvesters and shellfish managers. This proposal combines our experience working with fishermen with the expertise of Maine-eDNA researchers.

For more information, please contact Marissa McMahan (mmcmahan@manomet.org).

2) Ecosystem Services Valuation of Seaweed Farming Using eDNA Analysis from UNE (University of New England) – $20,000

The main goal of this work is twofold in order to meet the needs of both Maine EPSCoR and MTI. The first phase is to demonstrate that eDNA can be used as a tool for assessing shifts in the relevant abundances of commercially relevant species as well as the biodiversity of associated species at seaweed farm sites. Using these data, the second phase is to develop a method for Ecosystem Service Valuation of seaweed farming. In this proposal, we evaluate the ‘habitat & supporting’ Ecosystem Service provided by seaweed farms for finfish and invertebrates, for the economic benefit of the industry.

For more information, please contact Carrie Byron (cbyron@une.edu).

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