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The University of Maine

Maine Sea Grant Publications

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Report On American Eel (Anguilla Rostrata) Mark Recapture Study: Year 1, Christopher D. Johnson Jan 2018

Report On American Eel (Anguilla Rostrata) Mark Recapture Study: Year 1, Christopher D. Johnson

Maine Sea Grant Publications

In 2017, Sipayik Environmental Department staff conducted a abundance and distribution study, using a mark-recapture method study focusing on the American eel ( Anguillla rostrata ), a species of cultural importance to the Passamaquoddy. The study’s focus area, the Pennamaquan Watershed, spans from its northernmost extent in Pembroke, Maine, south to Charlotte, Maine.This was the first time since 2005 that the Passamaquoddy Tribe studied the American eel. The 2005 study observed preferred eel habitat and migration routes on the dam at little river located in Perry Maine, 7 miles east of the Pennamaquan Lake. It also served as a pilot …

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Summary Report Of Enhanced Monitoring And Pollution Source Tracking Efforts In The Willard Beach Watershed, Maine, 2012-2016, M. Sims, K. Kaczor Jul 2017

Summary Report Of Enhanced Monitoring And Pollution Source Tracking Efforts In The Willard Beach Watershed, Maine, 2012-2016, M. Sims, K. Kaczor

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Willard Beach is a popular recreation area located in South Portland used primarily by families with young children. Routine monitoring at the beach revealed elevated bacteria levels, prompting the need for enhanced monitoring within the watershed to determine the nature and extent of potential bacteria inputs. Although the waste of domestic and wild animals can contribute to impaired water quality and pose a public health risk, efforts have focused primarily on identifying and removing human sources (e.g. malfunctioning septic systems, faulty sewer lines) of fecal pollution.

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Maine Healthy Beaches Program 2016 Annual Report To U.S. Epa, K. Kaczor, M. Sims Jul 2017

Maine Healthy Beaches Program 2016 Annual Report To U.S. Epa, K. Kaczor, M. Sims

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Maine Healthy Beaches (MHB) is managed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) and coordinated by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMaine Extension). In 2016, this team worked with 28 local management entities to conduct routine monitoring, assessment, and public notification of water quality conditions for 60 beach management areas spanning Kittery to Mount Desert Island. MHB staff continued to build local capacity for well-informed beach management and to address pollution issues when they arose during the beach season.

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Summary Report Of Enhanced Monitoring And Pollution Source Tracking Efforts In Goosefare Brook, Maine, 2012-2016, M. Sims, K. Kaczor Jul 2017

Summary Report Of Enhanced Monitoring And Pollution Source Tracking Efforts In Goosefare Brook, Maine, 2012-2016, M. Sims, K. Kaczor

Maine Sea Grant Publications

The Goosefare Brook (GFB) forms the border between the City of Saco to the south and Town of Old Orchard Beach (OOB) to the north. In response to concerns over water quality in the mouth and adjacent beach water, the Maine Healthy Beaches (MHB) program has supported multi-year enhanced monitoring and pollution source tracking efforts, held Stakeholder Workshops, and more to address impaired water quality throughout the watershed. Over the past five years, the MHB program has focused primarily on paired enterococci and optical brightener samples in OOB’s New Salt Rd. Tributary (NSRT). This work identified widespread bacterial contamination throughout …

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The 11th International Conference And Workshop On Lobster Biology And Management, Richard Wahle, Kari L. Lavalli Jun 2017

The 11th International Conference And Workshop On Lobster Biology And Management, Richard Wahle, Kari L. Lavalli

Maine Sea Grant Publications

As large, charismatic species, lobsters of all stripes often find themselves at the center of scientific research and in the media spotlight. Lobster fisheries are important economic drivers of coastal communities around the world. Indeed, lobsters are poster children of a marine environment increasingly under the pressures of human exploitation and environmental change. The 200+ abstracts in this program reflect the activity of a vibrant international community of researchers and industry members striving to understand what makes lobsters tick and keep their fisheries sustainable.

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Maine Healthy Beaches Program Excerpts From Data Analysis, 2006-2015, K. Kaczor, M. Sims May 2017

Maine Healthy Beaches Program Excerpts From Data Analysis, 2006-2015, K. Kaczor, M. Sims

Maine Sea Grant Publications

No abstract provided.

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21st Annual Pectinid Workshop Abstracts And Program, Kevin Stokesbury, Jay Parsons, Sandy Shumway Apr 2017

21st Annual Pectinid Workshop Abstracts And Program, Kevin Stokesbury, Jay Parsons, Sandy Shumway

Maine Sea Grant Publications

No abstract provided.

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Connecting Rivers In The Penobscot Watershed, Catherine Schmitt Jan 2017

Connecting Rivers In The Penobscot Watershed, Catherine Schmitt

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Across Maine, communities and land owners are reconnecting rivers and streams by improving road crossings, fixing broken culverts, and removing dams and other barriers. There are many reasons for doing this work, including preventing costly repairs associated with flooding and washouts, enhancing water quality, increasing wildlife habitat, and restoring fish populations. Connecting Rivers explores some of the ways that streams connect inland lakes and forests and the sea. This second fact sheet in the series provides an overview of the motivations for and benefits of restoring fish passage, and includes a map of dam removals and other restoration actions in …

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Best Practices For Healthy Beaches And Watersheds In Maine: Potential Bioremediation Strategies For Improving Water Quality, Elyse Defranco Jan 2017

Best Practices For Healthy Beaches And Watersheds In Maine: Potential Bioremediation Strategies For Improving Water Quality, Elyse Defranco

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Maine’s watersheds face many challenges from human inputs, with pollution threatening the health of our beaches, rivers, and aquaculture operations. Maine’s rural communities often lack the resources to update aging sewer infrastructure or to adequately maintain septic systems, and these sources of pollution impact watershed health. In addition to addressing sources of pollution, which can be difficult to ascertain and challenging to address when located, bioremediation practices have the potential to aid in clean-up efforts. New technological advances and research discoveries in creative forms of bioremediation are being developed and are producing promising case studies around the world. These new …

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Maine Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus Control Program Standards, Christopher Bartlett Jan 2017

Maine Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus Control Program Standards, Christopher Bartlett

Maine Sea Grant Publications

The United States Department of Agriculture, (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, (APHIS), Veterinary Services, (VS) Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus Control Program Standards, hereafter referred to as the Standards, establish recommended procedures for the prevention and containment of Infectious Salmon Anemia virus (ISAV) in farm-raised Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The Standards provide guidelines for producers, APHIS-accredited veterinarians, other fish health personnel, laboratory personnel, and regulators. The eligibility of Atlantic salmon producers affected by ISA in Maine to receive indemnity is based, in part, on compliance with these Standards, and upon availability of any indemnity funds …

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2016 Goosefare Brook Mst Summary And Next Steps, M. Sims, K. Kaczor Jan 2017

2016 Goosefare Brook Mst Summary And Next Steps, M. Sims, K. Kaczor

Maine Sea Grant Publications

No abstract provided.

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American Lobster Settlement Index Update 2016, Richard Wahle, Joshua Carloni Jan 2017

American Lobster Settlement Index Update 2016, Richard Wahle, Joshua Carloni

Maine Sea Grant Publications

This ALSI Update adds 2016’s settlement numbers to our continuing time series of diver-based and bio-collector-based sampling in New England and Atlantic Canada. In this update we also feature an analysis led by Joshua Carloni, of New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game, to take a closer look at what might be behind the puzzling disconnect between what should be record-breaking larval production and the paltry settlement reports across the region

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Jordan River Monitoring Report, Ashley Taylor, Anna Farrell Jan 2017

Jordan River Monitoring Report, Ashley Taylor, Anna Farrell

Maine Sea Grant Publications

In congruence with the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) efforts to monitor declining water quality in the Jordan River, Frenchman Bay, Maine, the Community Lab at MDI Biological Laboratory implemented regular water quality monitoring at additional sites in the watershed to supplement the work of the DMR. Water samples were collected weekly between June and August of 2017 by staff and students from the Community Lab. Samples were collected via boat and foot to reach additional intermittent streams and smaller tributaries that feed into the Jordan River. Samples were analyzed for Enterococcus bacteria, optical brighteners, and salinity. A goal …

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Clamming In Maine, Brunswick High School Jan 2017

Clamming In Maine, Brunswick High School

Maine Sea Grant Publications

To become good environmental stewards and gain knowledge of viable economic opportunities, students need opportunities to learn about their local ecosystem and natural resources. The project leader will provide Brunswick High School students with the hands-on experience and curriculum to directly learn about an important local marine habitat and resource. Drawing on curricula from organizations such as the Friends of Casco Bay, Downeast Institute, and the Island Institute, McCullough has designed a monitoring program in which students will take environmental measurements (oxygen, nutrients, temperature, salinity, predation, invasive species, and growth rate); monitor green crab populations; and collect wild oyster spawn …

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Penobscot River Habitat Focus Area 2016 Annual Report, Matthew Bernier Jan 2017

Penobscot River Habitat Focus Area 2016 Annual Report, Matthew Bernier

Maine Sea Grant Publications

1 Penobscot River Habitat Focus Area 2016 Annual Report The Penobscot River is New England’s second largest river, draining nearly one-third of the state of Maine with a watershed area of 8,570 square miles not including tributaries to Penobscot Bay. The watershed is home to 11 migratory fish species, including three listed under the Endangered Species Act, and represents the largest run of Atlantic salmon in the United States. It has a rich cultural history of commercial, recreational, and sustenance fishing. It is also home to the Penobscot Indian Nation and includes the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The …

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Penobscot River Restoration, Catherine Schmitt Nov 2016

Penobscot River Restoration, Catherine Schmitt

Maine Sea Grant Publications

BETWEEN THE HEAD of tide above Bangor to where it widens into the bay at Searsport, the Penobscot River shifts from a flowing freshwater waterway banked by cedar and pine to a brackish, wave-lapped marsh with a rocky shoreline. In this estuary, salt concentrations fluctuate as the winds and tides push sea water and sediments back and forth. The estuary and the river that feeds it have taken on a new character recently, and have become an international example of watershed restoration. Despite two centuries of intensive timber harvesting and pulp and paper manufacturing, and the construction of hundreds of …

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Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Kelp Aquaculture, Sarah Redmond, Sam Belknap, Rebecca Clark Uchenna Jul 2016

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Kelp Aquaculture, Sarah Redmond, Sam Belknap, Rebecca Clark Uchenna

Maine Sea Grant Publications

“Kelp” are large brown marine macroalgae species native to New England and traditionally wild harvested for food. There are three commercially important kelp species in Maine—sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), winged kelp (Alaria esculenta), and horsetail kelp (Laminaria digitata). Maine is developing techniques for culturing kelp on sea farms as a way for fishermen and farmers to diversify their operations while providing a unique, high quality, nutritious vegetable seafood for new and existing markets. Kelp is grown on submerged horizontal long lines on leased sea farms from September to May, making it a “winter crop” for Maine. The simple farm design, …

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Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Getting To Know Your Water, Dana Morse, Samuel Belknap, Rebecca Clark Uchenna Jul 2016

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Getting To Know Your Water, Dana Morse, Samuel Belknap, Rebecca Clark Uchenna

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Aquaculture businesses must operate on sound environmental principles, most especially because marine aquaculture occurs in an open system: the ocean. While all farming activities, on land or at sea, have some degree of environmental interaction, farmers should understand these processes, with best management practices to minimize negative impacts. Successful farms must cope effectively with any changes to the marine system, and an organized system of monitoring and recordkeeping will improve your chances of business success, while maintaining a healthy environment. This fact sheet provides a summary of direct and indirect environmental factors that may affect your marine aquaculture business; more …

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Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: The Business Of Aquaculture, Richard Clime Jul 2016

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: The Business Of Aquaculture, Richard Clime

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Maine has significant potential to benefit from the successful integration of commercial fishing and the seafood business in the form of aquaculture and you have a chance to be involved in the beginning stages of this promising field. Aquaculture can be seen as a way to diversify on-the-water income and can easily complement existing fisheries businesses. There are risks associated with any business, however if managed properly aquaculture can be profitable.

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Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Site Selection, Dana Morse Jul 2016

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Site Selection, Dana Morse

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Site selection is the process of determining the optimum place for the sea farm. It’s a critical process, and will affect success - or failure. Crops grown on the wrong site may never do well, despite the best efforts of the farmer, and since obtaining a lease is usually a lengthy process, it’s not easy for a farmer to simply start up at a new site. The best approach is to do your homework thoroughly.

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Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Aquaculture In Maine, Dana Morse, James Crimp, Rebecca Clark Uchenna Jul 2016

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Aquaculture In Maine, Dana Morse, James Crimp, Rebecca Clark Uchenna

Maine Sea Grant Publications

This series of “Aquaculture in Shared Waters” fact sheets is intended to help fishermen or others in Maine’s coastal communities interested in starting a small-scale aquaculture business as we move towards achieving this potential in a way that is best for our people and the environment.

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Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Husbandry, Dana Morse, Samuel Belknap, Rebecca Clark Uchenna Jul 2016

Aquaculture In Shared Waters Fact Sheet: Husbandry, Dana Morse, Samuel Belknap, Rebecca Clark Uchenna

Maine Sea Grant Publications

When people think of sea farming, it’s usually the husbandry part that they have in mind: tending the crop, working on the boat, etc. Husbandry is a rewarding part of the aquaculture process, and good husbandry is critical to success. Paired with strong financial management and sales and marketing, husbandry is where the rubber meets the road. Your goal as the farmer is very simple, but difficult to do well: Successful aquaculturists keep their animals and plants at optimum health. Another way to think about this is to keep the crop at minimum stress: low stress equals faster growth, improved …

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The Secret Life Of Eels, Catherine Schmitt Mar 2016

The Secret Life Of Eels, Catherine Schmitt

Maine Sea Grant Publications

An overview of the natural history, biology, and population status of the American eel in Maine, research on eels in the Penobscot River, and description of the fishery.

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Connecting Rivers For Healthy Ocean Fisheries, Catherine Schmitt Jan 2016

Connecting Rivers For Healthy Ocean Fisheries, Catherine Schmitt

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Across Maine, communities and land owners are reconnecting rivers and streams by improving road crossings, fixing broken culverts, and removing dams and other barriers. There are many reasons for doing this work, including preventing costly repairs associated with flooding and washouts, enhancing water quality, increasing wildlife habitat, and restoring fish populations. Connecting Rivers explores some of the ways that streams connect inland lakes and forests and the sea. This first fact sheet in the series focuses on connections between populations of migratory river fish (alewives and blueback herring) and groundfish (e.g., cod).

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Proceedings Of The Us And Canada Scallop Science Summit: St. Andrews, New Brunswick, May 6–8, 2014, Skylar Bayer, Trisha Cheney, Carla Guenther, J. A. Sameoto Jan 2016

Proceedings Of The Us And Canada Scallop Science Summit: St. Andrews, New Brunswick, May 6–8, 2014, Skylar Bayer, Trisha Cheney, Carla Guenther, J. A. Sameoto

Maine Sea Grant Publications

A council of stakeholders ranging from fishermen, to scientists, and fisheries managers from both Canada and the United States convened on May 6, 7, and 8, 2014 in St. Andrews, New Brunswick to review and discuss the most recent scientific information relevant to the sea scallop fisheries and aquaculture efforts in the US and Canada. The US and Canada Scallop Summit aimed to strengthen and broaden the knowledge base in the scallop fisheries, with a focus on the nearshore fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy, as well as aquaculture efforts, and develop research priorities that aim …

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Rapid Response Plan For Management And Control Of The Chinese Mitten Crab, Northeast United States And Atlantic Canada, A. Eberhardt, J. Pederson, B. Bisson Jan 2016

Rapid Response Plan For Management And Control Of The Chinese Mitten Crab, Northeast United States And Atlantic Canada, A. Eberhardt, J. Pederson, B. Bisson

Maine Sea Grant Publications

The Rapid Response Plan for Management and Control of the Chinese Mitten Crab is intended to guide efforts to mitigate the further introduction and spread of the Chinese mitten crab in the northeastern United States and Canada. Due to the unique challenges of invasive species introductions to marine and coastal ecosystems, the mitten crab and other existing and potential marine invasive species are more difficult and often more costly to manage or control than freshwater aquatic or terrestrial invasive species. These challenges include ecosystem connectivity across vast geographic areas, ocean currents and tidal influence, and shipping- and ballast-related vectors for …

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Interactive Effects Of Tidal Height And Predator Exclusion On Growth And Survival Of Wild And Cultured Juveniles Of The Soft-Shell Clam, Mya Arenaria L., At Two Intertidal Flats In Southern Maine, Brian F. Beal Feb 2015

Interactive Effects Of Tidal Height And Predator Exclusion On Growth And Survival Of Wild And Cultured Juveniles Of The Soft-Shell Clam, Mya Arenaria L., At Two Intertidal Flats In Southern Maine, Brian F. Beal

Maine Sea Grant Publications

A comparative field experiment was initiated at two intertidal flats in southern Maine (Wells – Webhannet River; Portland – Fore River) in May 2014 to examine the interactive effects of tidal height and predator exclusion on the growth and survival of cultured individuals of the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria L. (xShell length = 12.95 ± 0.20 mm). Experimental units (0.018 m2) were placed near the upper and lower intertidal and filled with ambient sediments at both sites. Clams were added to units at a density of 660 ind. m-2. Predator exclusion included five treatments: 1) …

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Population Ecology And Epidemiology Of Sea Lice In Canadian Waters, Sonja M. Saksida, Ian Bricknell, Shawn M. C. Robinson, Simon Jones Feb 2015

Population Ecology And Epidemiology Of Sea Lice In Canadian Waters, Sonja M. Saksida, Ian Bricknell, Shawn M. C. Robinson, Simon Jones

Maine Sea Grant Publications

Sea lice are found on farmed and wild fish on both the west coast and east coast of Canada. The predominant species on both coasts is referred to as Lepeophtheirus salmonis but indications are that the two groups are genetically different. Caligus species are also found on both coasts, these too are different species: Caligus clemensi and C. elongatus, respectively. There has been extensive work on sea lice on both wild and farmed fish over the last decade. Research indicates that L. salmonis, commonly referred to as the salmon louse; may have a broader host range than commonly …

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From Wealth To Poverty: The Rise And Fall Of Cod Around Mount Desert Island, Natalie Springuel, Bill Leavenworth, Karen Alexander Jan 2015

From Wealth To Poverty: The Rise And Fall Of Cod Around Mount Desert Island, Natalie Springuel, Bill Leavenworth, Karen Alexander

Maine Sea Grant Publications

The history of cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine, particularly around Mount Desert Island and the Down East coast, begins with a tremendous diversity and volume of fish and ends in a marine ecological tragedy. It is a story of decline that cannot be told in isolation from farming and timber harvesting or from other fisheries. But it is also a story of people. Many thousands of people around Mount Desert Island in the last four hundred years have built their lives around cod and other fish. Cod drew settlers to the region, provided work in the fishery and …

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The American Lobster Settlement Index: An Early Warning System?, Maine Sea Grant College Program Jan 2015

The American Lobster Settlement Index: An Early Warning System?, Maine Sea Grant College Program

Maine Sea Grant Publications

The harvest of American lobsters is the Gulf of Maine’s largest, most valuable, and most iconic fishery. The catch has never been higher, but how long will it last? Fishing communities in eastern Maine and southern Nova Scotia are seeing historically high landings, some five times higher than the 1980s. At the same time, the lobster fishery south of Cape Cod has all but collapsed, plagued by shell disease and stressfully warm summers. It has never been more important to monitor this vital fishery. The American Lobster Settlement Index measures the annual pulse of baby lobsters to rocky nurseries some …

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