Life Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Integrating Local Ecology And Human Dimensions To Understand A Tidally Dynamic Ecosystem In Downeast Maine, Gabriella Marafino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal community resilience requires connecting people with useful information that reflects their needs and interests and empowers them to make informed marine resource decisions. In this thesis, I explore how to effectively integrate disparate data from different disciplines and sources to make information more useful and usable at federal, state, tribal, and local levels in order to support more holistic and integrated management. To accomplish this, I draw on different types of knowledge and approaches, including Western science, local ecological knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, and citizen science, to incorporate the social perspective and community values for holistic marine resource management. …

Assessing Predator Risk To Diadromous Fish Conservation In The Penobscot River Estuary, Lauri Leach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Successful conservation of pinnipeds in the northwest Atlantic has led to increasing populations of harbor (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the Gulf of Maine. Seals are often perceived as predators and competitors for fish, and as a result, come into conflict with fisheries and fish conservation. Increasing numbers of seals have become a recent concern in the Penobscot River Estuary in Maine, as habitat restoration and diadromous fish conservation have been top priorities in this region for the past decade.

To understand how pinnipeds are responding to these efforts, as well as the risks they pose to …

Senders, Receivers, And Spillover Dynamics: Understanding Transformative Forces Of Aquaculture In The Marine Aquarium Trade, Bryce Risley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industry and academic conversations on aquaculture’s role in the marine aquarium trade are often centered on production advancements, biological and reproductive constraints of concerned species, and conservation deliverables and often overlook the possible socioeconomic consequences of aquaculture production. Due attention is yet to be spent on understanding broader stakeholder sentiment on aquaculture production and the toll it may have on specialized suppliers such as those in the Sri Lankan marine ornamental fishery. Utilizing a framework derived from Coupled Human and Natural Systems, research found suppling stakeholders predominantly unable to participate in aquaculture production due to various access limitations. When viewed …

How Students Communicate Knowledge: Written Versus Drawn Responses To Formative Assessment Questions In An Introductory Undergraduate Marine Science Course, Christina Siddons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Undergraduate science education suffers from a lack of concrete instructional strategies that address real-world postgraduate skills such as visual literacy and science communication. Research within marine science education especially lags behind other, more well-researched fields such as physics or mathematics education, both of which have extensive literature addressing specific instructional strategies that instructors can implement in the classroom. Undergraduate marine science programs overlap with content areas from chemistry, physics, and biology, and provide a rich opportunity for examining how to include more authentic educational experiences in an undergraduate classroom. However, the types of assessments that are typically employed tend to …

From Phocine Distemper To Avian Influenza: A Study Of Immunogenetic Diversity In Two Sympatric Pinniped Species, Alayna K. Gigliotti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gray (Halichoerus grypus) and harbor (Phoca vitulina) seals are sympatric species that inhabit the North Atlantic and have been subject to mortality events from disease outbreaks, particularly phocine distemper and avian influenza virus. Across mortality events, gray seals tend to exhibit a higher survival rate, which could be explained by various ecological factors impacting rates or direction of selection in parts of the genome related to the immune system. These factors could include haul-out site density, habitat, and degree of inter/intraspecies interaction. This research aims to compare genetic diversity within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class …

Distributions And Abundances Of The Red Tide Dinoflagellate Alexandrium Catenella In The Eastern Gulf Of Maine And Bay Of Fundy In Relation To Diatoms In June, July And August Of 2019, Kimberly Lina D'Adamo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A series of three oceanographic survey cruises were conducted in June, July, and August of 2019 in the northeastern Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy. Surface water samples were collected and analyzed for enumerations of cell densities of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella in relation to cell densities of diatoms. Hydrographic profiles of temperature, salinity, and nutrients (silicate and nitrate) were also made at each station. Data were analyzed to determine if there was any statistically significant evidence of allelopathic interference imparted by diatoms that impede A. catenella. A. catenella cells were most abundant in June, reaching 6,195 cells per …

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 …

Sourcing And Evaluating The Use Of Detritus As A Supplementary Diet For Bivalve Aquaculture Using Stable Isotopes And Fatty Acid Biomarkers, Adrianus C. Both

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detritus is a ubiquitous component of ecosystems and an important fuel for secondary production. Due to the extractive nature of bivalve aquaculture, detritus is often incorporated into carrying capacity and growth models for cultured bivalves. However, despite the complexity and difficulty in obtaining direct measurements, detritus is often treated as a homogeneous food source in models. Further understanding the role detritus plays in the diet of cultured bivalves could lead to more comprehensive and accurate models as well as more informed site selection for growers. The purpose of this study was to assess the abundance, bioavailability, and contribution of detritus …

Evaluating Seafood Distribution Channels In The Atlantic Sea Scallop And Northeast Multispecies Groundfish Fisheries, Amanda Fall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Federal fisheries policy in the United States aims to balance resource conservation with maximum sustainable use. Catch shares are a quota-based management tool that are being increasingly deployed to achieve this ambitious goal. One perceived benefit of catch shares is that they give fishermen control of their catch so they will have the latitude to pursue the most profitable marketing arrangements. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research seeks to (1) describe and document the different marketing strategies that commercial fishermen in the Northeast Multispecies Groundfish and Atlantic Sea Scallop fisheries are using to sell their catch; and (2) estimate the …

Managing Resilience In A Changing World: A Multiscale Analysis Of Fisheries Governance Challenges, Marina Cucuzza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fisheries are complex social-ecological systems comprised of fish, humans, the institutions they create, and the broader ecological and social systems within which they are embedded. Changing ocean conditions, declines and shifts in key species, and loss of working waterfront infrastructure are among the many threats to the longevity of fisheries and fishing communities worldwide. A resilience approach to fisheries governance is increasingly recognized as key to sustaining coastal systems and the human communities that depend on them in the face of mounting socioeconomic and environmental challenges. Here I define resilience as the capacity of a system to withstand disturbances without …