Darling Marine Center news

Public invited to Damariscotta Estuary Marine Science forum July 17

The University of Maine Darling Marine Center, aquaculture industry partners and the Damariscotta River Association invite community members to “Science for the People: Damariscotta Estuary Marine Science Public Forum” at 7 p.m. Monday, July 17 at Darrows Barn at Round Top Farm in Damariscotta. Presenters will provide synopses of research being conducted by the Sustainable […]

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Third-graders measure oysters

Future of oyster industry in third-graders’ hands

“Are we going to be dissecting something?” a Great Salt Bay third-grader asked as he entered the classroom. When he got a whiff of the empty petri dish in front of him, he announced, seemingly pleased with his guess: “Yup, this smells dissected.” For the next 45 minutes, he and other students learned about oyster […]

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Ice diving

DMC divers have ‘time of their life’ under the ice

A hole in the ice is more than a mark of traditional Maine ice fishermen. It’s also a passageway to a beautiful underwater world. Divers from the University of Maine Darling Marine Center, including Ashley Rossin and Sean O’Neill, recently earned their ice diving certification to broaden their skills as marine science researchers. Rossin is […]

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American lobster

DMC researchers test technique to determine lobster’s age

Research professor Rick Wahle and graduate student Carl Huntsberger are testing a technique at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center to determine the age of lobsters. Unlike fish, mollusks and trees, Wahle says lobsters and other crustaceans molt — or cast off their skeletons thereby discarding external signs of growth. That means a lobster’s […]

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Student in research diving class

Nine earn scientific diving certification at DMC

Nine undergraduate and graduate students recently earned their scientific diving certification at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole. Scientific divers use scuba or other diving equipment to study the underwater environment, says UMaine diving safety officer Christopher Rigaud. “Our students spend many hours learning about diving physics, physiology, equipment, first aid and […]

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Boat on the water

When aquaculture grows, so does its economic impact

Farming of finfish, shellfish and plants in fresh and saltwater is the fastest-growing food production sector in the world and it’s growing in Maine, too. From 2007 to 2014, the total economic impact of aquaculture in Maine — including sales revenue, full- and part-time jobs and labor income — nearly tripled from $50 million to […]

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Morse offers advice on how to serve Maine oysters, Press Herald reports

Dana Morse, a researcher with the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, Maine Sea Grant and UMaine Cooperative Extension, gave a gentle warning to Portland Press Herald readers, looking to serve large, succulent Maine oysters at their New Year’s parties. “By and large, the larger the oyster you get, the stronger they’re going to be […]

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Boot Camp connects students to School of Marine Sciences, ocean

The annual Marine Sciences Boot Camp at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center offers first-year students a concentrated preview of what their lives will be like as marine sciences majors. “I loved every minute of it,” says Miranda Furnari, a student from Danvers, Massachusetts.“It was so incredible to actually get a taste of what […]

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Blue mussels

Researcher who discovered decline in blue mussels to talk at DMC

Cascade Sorte, a biologist who documented a massive decline in wild blue mussels in the Gulf of Maine, will present “Global change consequences and coping mechanisms in coastal marine systems” at noon Oct. 6 at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole. Sorte found blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), a foundation species that influences […]

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Stages of lobster larvae development

DMC, Bigelow study: Rising ocean temperatures threaten baby lobsters

If water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine rise a few degrees by end of the century, it could mean trouble for lobsters and the industry they support. That’s according to newly published research conducted at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. The research is the only published […]

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