Internships

PELAGIC FISHERIES LAB INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Applications for the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program will OPEN on February 1st, 2026

We accept applications from any undergraduate student who is local or can become local to Portland, ME. This internship is typically a 12 week program that is offered every summer during field season to learn more about Atlantic bluefin tuna & highly migratory species in general!

Bates College

We accept 1 Bates College Undergraduate Student through the Bates College Purposeful Work Program. This internship is typically a 10 week program that is offered every summer during field season to learn more about Atlantic bluefin tuna & highly migratory species in general! To learn more about the Bates College Purposeful Work Program and to apply, please visit their website!

Bates College Purposeful Work Internships

University of Southern Maine

We typically accept 1 University of Southern Maine Undergraduate Student through the University of Southern Maine Career Exploration Program. This internship occurs in the Fall & Spring semesters for about 15-20 hours a week during the academic school year. The goal of this internship is to learn more about Atlantic bluefin tuna & highly migratory species in general! To learn more about the University of Southern Maine Career Exploration Program and to apply, please visit their website!

University of Southern Maine Career Exploration Program

Pelagic Fisheries Lab interns, Olivia, Ben, and Emma sampling an Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Pelagic Fisheries Lab interns Rory & Avery working on taking genetic samples from Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Pelagic Fisheries Lab interns Heidi & Jewel cutting into an Atlantic bluefin tuna head.

past internship program student testimonials

Amelia grew up in Limington, Maine. She is currently completing her undergraduate degree at Bates College, majoring in Environmental Studies, and is expected to graduate in 2027. Amelia joined the lab as an undergraduate intern through the Bates College Purposeful Work Program during the Summer of 2025. Before her internship, she had no prior experience in marine sciences or fisheries, but as the weeks progressed, she developed a love for both! She felt that the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program provided her with practical lab experience as well as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore fisheries in a really cool way. Her favorite memory as an intern was being at the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza where she got to see full tuna up close, and spent the whole day with the Tuna Team out in the field!

The summer I spent as a Pelagic Fisheries Lab intern was one of the most fun summers I’ve ever had. Beyond the opportunity to be very hands-on with the tuna, I also had so much fun attending fishing tournaments, and even tagging along on a shark tagging trip! Additionally, everyone in the lab was so kind and helpful. I always felt very supported and like everyone was invested in my education.

Amelia McAvoy, Bates College ’27

Grady grew up in Bourne/Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he spent a lot of time by the water. He is currently completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Maine, majoring in Marine Sciences and minoring in both Fisheries and Sustainability, and is expected to graduate in 2026. Grady joined the lab as an undergraduate intern during the Summer of 2025. Before his internship, Grady did not have a lot of hands-on fisheries science experience, but throughout his internship he really began to develop a passion and appreciation for fisheries science and fisheries management. His favorite memories came from whenever he got to do fieldwork. Whether he was working at tournaments like Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza or tagging sharks with Dr. Golet and researchers from the DMR, it was always a fun learning experience.

I had an incredible experience as a PFL intern. I learned so much about the tuna industry and fisheries science. I also really enjoyed being in the lab with such a fun and supportive group of people. Everybody was really passionate about sustainable fisheries and sharing their passion and knowledge with others.

Grady Gobeil, University of Maine ’26

Ellie grew up in South Portland, Maine, oftentimes by the water, whether she was at the beach or on her father’s lobster boat. She is currently completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Maine, majoring in Marine Sciences and minoring in Fisheries, and is expected to graduate in 2026. Ellie joined the lab as an undergraduate intern during the Summer of 2025. She felt that her experience as an intern was even more than she could have hoped for and that her eyes were opened to the opportunities available in the marine science world. She loved that every day was unique, where one day she would be sitting in on a thesis defense, and the next be elbows deep in a vat of tuna heads. Although she felt her summer was full of fun times, her favorite memories were made at tuna tournaments. Specifically at the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza, she was given the opportunity to connect with fishermen, see freshly caught bluefins, educate kids who loved to stop by, and witness the importance of the Pelagic Fisheries Lab’s work. To her, being at the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza was the messiest, busiest, and most exciting week of the summer!

At the lab, every day is different and an opportunity for hands-on learning, the only consistent thing is having fun while also learning so much. Not only did the Pelagic Fisheries Lab provide me with an opportunity to learn about the super cool Atlantic bluefin tuna, but also I learned how our fisheries work, how to network in the field, how to navigate graduate school, how to be a good researcher, and more skills I will bring with me after graduation. I could not have asked for a better experience at the Pelagic Fisheries Lab!

Ellie Mitschele, University of Maine ’26

Olive Hight, University of Southern Maine student, sawing into an Atlantic bluefin tuna head during her internship with the Pelagic Fisheries Lab.

Olive grew up in Biddeford, Maine where she often spent time by the water. She is completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Southern Maine majoring in General Biology and expected to graduate in 2027. Olive is a University of Southern Maine Career Exploration intern, and has been in working in the lab with us for just under a year. Before becoming a Pelagic Fisheries Lab intern, her experience with field work and marine fisheries was limited, but her internship at the Pelagic Fisheries Lab really solidified her love for both! Overall she feels that the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program was a great experience and she learned so much during her time as an intern!

I have a lot of great memories from being out on the boat this summer, especially when I got to help hold a blue shark that we brought on board while Emma Smith, a Doctoral student in the Schwieterman Lab at UMaine, drew blood from it. I feel so lucky to work so closely with such amazing animals!

Olive Hight, University of Southern Maine ’27

Nick graduated from the University of Maine in 2023 with a B.S. in Marine Sciences. When taking the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship position, his biggest concern was that he would be stuck in the lab all day every day doing the same exact task throughout the summer. However, he found that there were so many different opportunities to get hands-on experience with a myriad of diverse laboratory tools, methods, and minds. He really appreciated being able to make mistakes in such a friendly, supportive, and wise environment as well. After graduating, Nick has been conducting at-sea scientist work for New England Marine Monitoring as a protected Species Observer for offshore wind projects.

I truly appreciated my time spent in the Pelagic Fisheries Lab with the Tuna Team. I had a great time throughout the whole summer, but I think my favorite memory was when we were able to goof around and hacky-sack together, especially when Walt would join in!

Nick Cavalieri, University of Maine ’24

Ben graduated from Bates College in 2024 with a B.S. in Biology with a focus on Pre-Med. He is from Massachusetts. Ben came into the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program with very little exposure to marine sciences and the fisheries world, but left the internship stating that cutting the tuna head with a saw was the most fun part of our biological sampling process. Although he was on a Pre-Med track, and might not work in the fisheries science field again, he felt the experience of being involved in the Pelagic Fisheries Lab’s research, and fisheries science in general, that will have a direct impact on public health was invaluable.

At the Pelagic Fisheries Lab, you really see how collaborative science is. You’re part of the effort, even if you’re just an intern and not performing the chemistry. You’re an important part of the machine that will inform biologists with more accurate data that will help to inform fishermen.

Ben Morse, Bates College ’24

Olivia Durham, an alumni of the University of Maine's School of Marine Sciences, cutting into an Atlantic bluefin tuna head to extract a head steak.

Olivia graduated from the University of Maine in 2024 with a B.S. in Marine Sciences with a concentration in Aquaculture. After completing the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program, she continued her work with Atlantic bluefin tuna by conducting her senior capstone on researching the potential unknown spawning areas of Atlantic bluefin tuna by examining PSAT data for behaviors associated with spawning in verified spawning grounds. Also during her senior year at the University of Maine, she could be found in the Schwieterman Lab where she worked on an aquaculture system for chain pickerel and will assisted with their collection and husbandry.

Emma Fortin, University of Maine Pelagic Fisheries Lab intern, hold an Atlantic bluefin tuna tail at the Bluefin Benefit Battle.

Emma grew up in Maine spending time by the water. She entered the University of Maine as a Marine Sciences major eager to learn. During her time in the Pelagic Fisheries Lab Internship Program, she developed an interest in furthering her understanding highly migratory species. Some of her favorite aspects of the internship was the biological sampling process & working at tournaments. She even started a collection of Atlantic bluefin tuna lens!

Emma could just not stay away! She returned for a second year as a Pelagic Fisheries Lab intern. Emma continued her passion in learning more about Atlantic bluefin tuna! She also continued to expand collection of bluefin lens throughout the summer & even saved herself a bluefin tail to dry out! Although Emma is no longer a School of Marine Sciences student, her love for marine sciences and highly migratory species is immense!

Mackenzie grew up in Portland, ME and has always loved being by the water, whether that be the ocean or the many freshwater systems Maine has to offer. After returning home to Portland from a hybrid sophomore year, she was interested in seeing what marine science opportunities there were in her hometown. She reached out to Dr. Golet for an opportunity to gain lab skills and hands-on field work experience. Working in the Pelagic Fisheries Lab provided her with these opportunities, and more! She ended up loving working with highly migratory species and was eager to learn even more!

Mackenzie had so much fun during her first summer as a Pelagic Fisheries Lab intern, she had to come back again! During her second time around, she learned various new research methods, like stomach content analysis. She continued working on stomach content analysis work conducting her senior capstone on the “Foraging ecology, prey preference, and prey energetics of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the Northwest Atlantic.”

I honestly did not know what to expect when I began my internship in the Pelagic Fisheries Lab, but I ended up falling in love with the research and the passion Walt & the entire Tuna Team has for understanding more about Atlantic bluefin tuna and other highly migratory species!

Mackenzie O’Donnell, University of Maine ’23

Questions? Email us!

pelagicfisherieslab@gmail.com