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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Sociocultural Significance Of Maine's Oyster Based On Media Coverage Analysis, Syeira Clark Dec 2023

The Sociocultural Significance Of Maine's Oyster Based On Media Coverage Analysis, Syeira Clark

Honors College

Throughout the last decade, the oyster aquaculture industry in Maine has boomed, with 6 million pounds of oysters being harvested in 2021, about the amount that was harvested in 2016 (Cough, 2022). According to the founders of the Maine Oyster Trail, there are over 150 oyster farms currently operating on Maine’s coast, which is about twice as many as there were in 2016 (Maine Sea Grant). With this boom in the industry has come a wave of opportunity, as well as news coverage about the shellfish. This study examines the socio-cultural significance to the state of Maine. While the oyster …


Community Science In Support Of Ecosystem-Based Management: A Case Study From The Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, Usa, Sarah C. Risley, Kara E. Pellowe, Melissa L. Britsch, Meredith M. White, Heather M. Leslie Jan 2023

Community Science In Support Of Ecosystem-Based Management: A Case Study From The Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, Usa, Sarah C. Risley, Kara E. Pellowe, Melissa L. Britsch, Meredith M. White, Heather M. Leslie

Maine Policy Review

Coastal marine ecosystems are dynamic social-ecological systems (SESs) that support diverse ecosystem services and human activities. The complexity of SESs means that ecosystem-based approaches are increasingly used to support coastal marine ecosystem stewardship. We report how a community science program in Maine, USA offers a model of organizational innovation to expand capacities for shellfish research and management. Since 2019, we have collaborated with local students, shellfish harvesters, and others in data collection, interpretation, and application, contributing to local shellfish management and ecosystem sustainability. We demonstrate how community-based social and ecological research can build adaptive capacities by centering local knowledge; generating …


Marine Aquaculture In Maine: Understanding Diverse Perspectives And Interactions At Multiple Scales, Melissa L. Britsch May 2021

Marine Aquaculture In Maine: Understanding Diverse Perspectives And Interactions At Multiple Scales, Melissa L. Britsch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal oceans are changing and experiencing increased use. The social and ecological benefits of healthy coastal oceans are well documented and include habitats for marine species, storm protection, and recreational opportunities (MEA, 2005). As the impacts of human activities are recognized, questions about how ocean spaces should be used are becoming more common. These questions are complex and involve many tradeoffs. Understanding the values people hold about uses, and how activities and ecosystems overlap, is critical for weighing tradeoffs and improving future management. I use the northeastern U.S. state of Maine to study human interactions with coastal oceans. Maine is …


Holistic Monitoring Of Maine Sea Lice (Lepeoptheirus Salmonis, Kroyer, 1837) Sensitivities To Therapies: Developing A Novel Assay To Examine Lice Behavior, Kathryn Liberman Dec 2020

Holistic Monitoring Of Maine Sea Lice (Lepeoptheirus Salmonis, Kroyer, 1837) Sensitivities To Therapies: Developing A Novel Assay To Examine Lice Behavior, Kathryn Liberman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sea lice (Lepeoptheirus salmonis) present significant economic and animal welfare challenges to salmon aquaculture globally. Chemical delousing agents are used in many countries, with each nation eventually reporting sea lice developing reduced sensitivities to treatments. While some countries have in place sea lice sensitivity monitoring programs, that is not the case in Maine, USA. Although chemical delousing agents are not currently used in Maine, they have been used in the past and are currently used in neighboring Canadian salmon farms. Different bay management areas (BMAs) were sampled during different seasons to determine if there is a seasonal or spatial component …


Examining The Northern Shrimp Fishery In A Changing Gulf Of Maine, Ashley N. Charleson May 2020

Examining The Northern Shrimp Fishery In A Changing Gulf Of Maine, Ashley N. Charleson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) once supported a key commercial fishery in the State of Maine. Since its closure in 2013, the stock has remained in a particularly vulnerable state following recruitment failure, overfishing, and rising water temperatures. Furthermore, without this source of supplemental income, local fishermen have also experienced financial stress following unstable fishing conditions in other fisheries. The collective goal of this research project was to assess factors impacting the feasibility of reopening and maintaining this vulnerable winter fishery. These goals are addressed over 4 chapters. Chapter two offers insight regarding what is most often omitted from the regulatory …


Maine's Climate Future: 2020 Update, Ivan J. Fernandez, Sean Birkel, Catherine V. Schmitt, Julia Simonson, Bradford Lyon, Andrew Pershing, Esperanza Stancioff, George L. Jacobson, Paul Andrew Mayewski Dr. Feb 2020

Maine's Climate Future: 2020 Update, Ivan J. Fernandez, Sean Birkel, Catherine V. Schmitt, Julia Simonson, Bradford Lyon, Andrew Pershing, Esperanza Stancioff, George L. Jacobson, Paul Andrew Mayewski Dr.

Climate Change Institute Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Red Abalone Hemocyanin As An Alternative Hapten-Carrier For Vaccine Production, Isaiah N. Mansour May 2018

Red Abalone Hemocyanin As An Alternative Hapten-Carrier For Vaccine Production, Isaiah N. Mansour

Honors College

Vaccines protect millions of human lives per year from otherwise fatal illnesses. Vaccination promotes immunity by simulating infection with a non-pathogenic representative of the disease, an antigen, to prepare and train an immune response. Vaccine-safe antigens are often too small to elicit an immune response. These non-immunogenic molecules are referred to as haptens and are introduced to the immune system by hapten-carriers, large immune-stimulating proteins. Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH), a respiratory protein of the giant keyhole limpet (Megathura crenulata), is the industry standard hapten-carrier. KLH is a potent yet safe immune-stimulant relied upon in research, available human medications, and emerging …


Estimating Ecosystem Services From Harvested And Unharvested Ascophyllum Nodosum On The Maine Coast, Ashley E. Sarra May 2018

Estimating Ecosystem Services From Harvested And Unharvested Ascophyllum Nodosum On The Maine Coast, Ashley E. Sarra

Honors College

Ascophyllum nodosum, better known as rockweed, is a commercially important, harvested intertidal brown alga species common in coastal Maine. Rockweed sea vegetable harvesting is a lucrative wild harvest fishery, that has also proved to be socially contentious and whose future management is uncertain. A. nodosum is an intertidal macroalgal species that may also be impacted by sea level rise. Through a combination of biomass estimation, newspaper analysis, and interview data collection, this project seeks to (a) develop a typology of ecological services of A. nodosum in harvested and unharvested areas in the state of Maine; and (b) assess the …


Cormorant, Judy Kaber Jun 2017

Cormorant, Judy Kaber

The Catch

No abstract provided.


Social And Ecological Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Aquaculture, Karen Pianka May 2016

Social And Ecological Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Aquaculture, Karen Pianka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Commercial fishermen in Maine are increasingly dependent upon the American lobster fishery, and this reliance on a single species poses a threat to working waterfronts. Aquaculture represents a potential opportunity for commercial fishermen to diversify their income. Literature on the adoption of innovation suggests that factors such as age, education level, fishing experience, diversification, and leadership are important predictors of early adoption of innovation. However, few studies have examined whether such factors affect the adoption of aquaculture by commercial fishermen. Our marine policy research studied fishermen enrolled in two pilot shellfish and seaweed aquaculture classes held in 2013 in Harpswell …


Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Before Wentworth Point, Part 2: (1939), Um Marine Biological Lab At Lamoine, Randy Lackovic Nov 2014

Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Before Wentworth Point, Part 2: (1939), Um Marine Biological Lab At Lamoine, Randy Lackovic

Darling Marine Center Historical Documents

This is picture album of the University of Maine Marine Biological Laboratory at Lamoine, Maine during the summer session in 1939.


Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Come To Wentworth Point (1960s), Randy Lackovic Nov 2014

Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Come To Wentworth Point (1960s), Randy Lackovic

Darling Marine Center Historical Documents

This history recounts the formation of the Darling Marine Center from 1963 - 1966.


Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Before Wentworth Point, Part 1: (1865-1965), Randy Lackovic Nov 2014

Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Before Wentworth Point, Part 1: (1865-1965), Randy Lackovic

Darling Marine Center Historical Documents

This is a history of the marine and freshwater sciences activity at the University of Maine from 1865 - 1965.


Linking Marine Science To Industry: One Building Block, Kathleen Ellis Jan 1997

Linking Marine Science To Industry: One Building Block, Kathleen Ellis

Maine Policy Review

All involved in the work to develop Maine’s marine industry are united in the view that partnerships are paramount in maximizing the potential of this resource for the benefit of the state’s economy in a global marketplace. One entity with experience in the arena of working in collaboration with the private and public sectors is the University of Maine, which now is attempting to develop its role within the state’s marine industry further by becoming the home of a new School of Marine Sciences. Kathleen Ellis in this commentary offers some historical perspective on the university’s place in the state’s …