Maine Monitor interviews UMaine Machias’ Beal on wild mussels
University of Maine at Machias cooperating professor of marine ecology Brian Beal, who is also the volunteer director of research at the Downeast Institute, was interviewed by The Maine Monitor on the disappearance of wild mussels. Beal said the decrease in the presence of wild mussels could be caused directly or indirectly by warming ocean waters. “If it’s direct, that means the mussels are physiologically not capable of coping with warming waters,” said Beal. “If it’s indirect, the warming waters have caused predators to increase.”