Aquaculture

An aerial view of a snowy UMaine campus

For Maine’s visionaries, students and early adopters, record investment generates opportunities

Amid a dynamic funding landscape, the University of Maine concluded its 2025 fiscal year on June 30 with record productivity for the sixth consecutive year, powering expanded opportunities for students, researchers and partners statewide.  Total research and development expenditures reached $297.6 million, up 19% from last year. External research and development funding received reached $243.6 […]

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A photo of two people on a boat measuring kelp

Kelp farming is expensive, but a new resource points to lower costs 

Farming kelp to sell as food, beauty products, fertilizer additives and other goods is a growing industry in Maine, but also a costly one. One key barrier for new farmers is a lack of cost-analysis tools to help reduce expenditures and develop sustainable business plans.  Researchers from Kelson Marine in Portland, Maine and the University […]

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A photo of boats along a pier

State’s future economy anchored in the sea, University of Maine president says

Joan Ferrini-Mundy highlighted the university’s leadership at today’s Maine Blue Economy Innovation Summit. ‘You don’t get to focus on an economy without thinking about the people who make and drive that economy,’ she said. On Maine’s rugged coast, where shipbuilding, fishing and working waterfronts have defined generations, leaders say the future is once again tied […]

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BDN features UMaine programs and people in special aquaculture section

The Bangor Daily News featured contributions from the University of Maine, including its programs, faculty and alumni, toward the state’s aquaculture industry in four stories included in the Aquaculture 2025 special section. One story looked back at the history of the industry in Maine; another, courtesy of the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, focused on an […]

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A photo of a scallop being held by a hand on a dock in Maine

UMaine research compares most cost-effective methods for Atlantic sea scallop aquaculture

Much of the scallop farming techniques used in the U.S. derive from practices in Japan, where scallops have long been a part of the country’s seafood industry. Researchers from the University of Maine are working to test and adapt those practices to help grow the industry in the Gulf of Maine, where oyster farming is […]

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Alumnus scallop farm out of Belfast featured in Emmy-nominated documentary

A scallop farm based in Belfast, Maine and co-owned by University of Maine alumnus Struan Coleman (’21G) was featured in the PBS documentary “Hope in the Water.” Coleman received his master’s in marine policy from UMaine in 2021, during which time he studied the economic feasibility of scallop farming in Maine and was introduced to […]

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A photo of scallop lines underwater

UMaine research examines best methods for growing Atlantic sea scallops

A new study from the University of Maine’s Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) and Darling Marine Center is helping to refine best practices for growing Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus), a species of increasing interest to Maine’s aquaculture sector. Published in the academic journal Aquaculture, the research compares two scallop farming methods, ear-hanging and lantern net […]

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Kaczor discussing bringing inland, rural youth to sea with WFVX

WFVX (FOX 22/ABC 7 in Bangor) interviewed Kari Kaczor, the environmental literacy and workforce development program manager at Maine Sea Grant, on the “Bringing the Sea to Inland and Rural Youth” initiative, an effort to engage K-12 learners from inland and rural communities in ocean exploration.

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A photo of a group of students on Maine's coast

All aboard, inland schools! Sea Grant program brings students to the waterfront

An educational program led by Maine Sea Grant at the University of Maine bridges the gap between inland and coastal Maine, giving students from rural communities hands-on access to the state’s vital marine ecosystems.  Since its launch in fall 2023, the “Bringing the Sea to Inland and Rural Youth” initiative connected nearly 400 middle and […]

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