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Barriers To And Opportunities For Adoption In Maine’S Aquaculture Industry, Caitlin Cleaver Dec 2022

Barriers To And Opportunities For Adoption In Maine’S Aquaculture Industry, Caitlin Cleaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture, or the farming of marine species, can diversify coastal economies, but development of this industry is hindered by negative perceptions or regulatory constraints. Commercial fishers are logical adopters of aquaculture, but can also mount opposition to its growth. This dissertation utilized innovation theory to understand fishers’ perceptions of and willingness to adopt aquaculture and drivers of and barriers to scallop aquaculture development in Maine (USA). Through a mail survey, lobster fishers’ perceptions of Maine’s aquaculture industry and their willingness to adopt aquaculture were assessed (Chapter 2). Individuals who were more satisfied with government management of aquaculture held more positive …


Using Reflex Actions To Predict Delayed Post-Harvest Mortality Of American Lobster (Homarus Americanus) In Maine’S Lobster Supply Chain, Cassandra Leeman Dec 2022

Using Reflex Actions To Predict Delayed Post-Harvest Mortality Of American Lobster (Homarus Americanus) In Maine’S Lobster Supply Chain, Cassandra Leeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In live seafood industries, maintaining product quality and survivorship are critical aspects of the supply chain infrastructure. Post-harvest mortality in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery can result in a significant loss in revenue for the largest single species fishery in North America. In Maine, the wholesale lobster distribution supply chain directly and indirectly supports state and local economies, providing almost $1 billion in revenue and dominates the fishery, producing 82% of the total lobster landings in the USA (Donihue, 2018; NOAA, 2021). However, at least 2% of the lobster landed in Maine die before they reach consumers, representing an …


Seabirds As Proxies For Past El Niño Events In Coastal Peru: An Archaeo-Ornithological Approach, Heather A. Landazuri Dec 2022

Seabirds As Proxies For Past El Niño Events In Coastal Peru: An Archaeo-Ornithological Approach, Heather A. Landazuri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis sets an initial foundation for an archaeo-ornithological approach to understanding past El Niño events on the coast of Peru and the use of avifaunal remains as proxies for ecological conditions. Although faunal remains from archaeological sites do not provide exact representations of past environmental conditions, and bird remains can be especially challenging environmental indicators, their presence does reflect decisions made by human occupants in response to environment. Additionally, zooarchaeological data offer a reflection of past animal availability and use, much of which is at least in part determined by environmental conditions. Here I examine the extent to which …


Developing And Characterizing A Novel Tempo Cnf Hydrogel Adjuvant And Delivery System For Aquatic Vaccines, Kora Kukk Aug 2022

Developing And Characterizing A Novel Tempo Cnf Hydrogel Adjuvant And Delivery System For Aquatic Vaccines, Kora Kukk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture is a large part of the food production sector which is greatly expanding. One of the largest losses in aquaculture is due to pathogens. Current solutions for protecting farmed finfish from pathogens can be very expensive with variable efficiency. Current disease prevention strategies include vaccination. Types of vaccines include immersion vaccines, feed vaccines, and injectable vaccines. The most popular solution is oil-based injectable vaccines due to its protection. However, the oil-based adjuvant used in most of these formulations causes adverse reactions in the fish including reduced growth. These vaccines require multiple administrations throughout the fish’s lifetime causing unwanted handling …


Weaving An Interdisciplinary Microbiome Career Using Threads From Different Ecosystems, Sarah Hosler Aug 2022

Weaving An Interdisciplinary Microbiome Career Using Threads From Different Ecosystems, Sarah Hosler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animals have trillions of microorganisms living in or on many body sites, these communities of microorganisms are called microbiomes. Microbiomes are typically host-specific, and a lot of information about the host can be determined from investigating them. Microbiome research has many real-world applications, and this thesis utilizes the One Health perspective, which acknowledges the connection of humans, animals, and environments, and emphasizes the need for collaborative, interdisciplinary research. The first interdisciplinary project is an investigation into the bacteria in wild and cultured Atlantic deep-sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus larvae. Adults in hatcheries can be induced to spawn, but the last two …


The Effects Of Rising Ambient Temperatures On Thermoregulation And Range Shifts Of Northern Flying Squirrels, Elise K. Gudde Aug 2022

The Effects Of Rising Ambient Temperatures On Thermoregulation And Range Shifts Of Northern Flying Squirrels, Elise K. Gudde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change may potentially alter a species’ range distribution and thus the relationship between environmental temperatures and animal performance as a response to climate warming has become an important area of research. Two species of flying squirrel in North America, the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) and the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) have undergone northward range shifts, with climate warming being the suspected driver. Because they are nocturnal and tree nesting, flying squirrels may be particularly susceptible to warmer temperatures, as they will experience the highest daily ambient temperatures during their resting phase. I used G. sabrinus as a …


Rusty Blackbird Use Of Commercial Spruce-Fir Forests Of Northern New England, Luke M. Douglas May 2022

Rusty Blackbird Use Of Commercial Spruce-Fir Forests Of Northern New England, Luke M. Douglas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) has experienced a steep population decline since the 1970s, with qualitative accounts suggesting that the species’ numbers have been falling prior to the 1950s. The reason for this decline is still not fully understood, though recent work suggests that habitat destruction and disturbance in the breeding and wintering ranges are likely causes. The species is a habitat specialist that relies on spruce-fir stands located near wetlands for breeding in the boreal and Acadian forests of North America. Historically, the natural disturbance regime in the Acadian region included biotic agents such as beaver and …