Steneck to discuss climate impacts on lobster industry during virtual seminar
Robert Steneck will present “Maine’s changing lobster fishery: some direct and indirect impacts of climate change” at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 10, during a webinar hosted by the University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole.
“Challenges for this fishery have never been greater,” says the UMaine marine ecologist. “Today, the economic impact of COVID-19, international trade problems, concerns about the northern right whale and bait shortages all weigh heavily on everyone who fishes for lobsters on the Maine coast. A less conspicuous concern relates to the warming Gulf of Maine.”
Steneck’s research the last three decades has focused on climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them, here in Maine and around the world.
In the webinar, he’ll discuss one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States — the Maine fishery for American lobster.
The professor of oceanography, marine biology and marine policy in the School of Marine Sciences is internationally known for his dedication to underwater field expeditions from the North Atlantic to the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions, as well as for mentoring hundreds of students at UMaine and other institutions.
This spring, Steneck was presented the university’s highest research honor — the Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award.
The webinar will kick off the DMC’s three-part summer science summer series. Presentations July 24 and Aug. 7 will provide additional opportunities for participants to learn about current marine science and policy topics in which UMaine researchers and students are actively engaged, in Maine and beyond.
Visit dmc.umaine.edu for more information about the talk, to register, and to learn about upcoming speakers and topics.