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Maine Sea Grant

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Marine Science for Maine People

10/16/2026

The Working Waterfront Conference is less than a month away, and we’re celebrating by recognizing Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences for their Fleet Sponsorship.

From collecting eDNA from Maine Oyster Company’s dock, to sampling blue mussel larvae in an effort to improve seed collection, to monitoring lobster health, Bigelow’s researchers work to improve Maine’s marine harvests.

In their own words, “Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is proud to sponsor the Maine Working Waterfront Conference.

Connecting industry with cutting-edge science will strengthen our communities and bolster Maine's blue economy for a brighter future."

The conference will be a space where marine researchers, local harvesters, and the seafood industry come together to chart a sustainable future for Maine’s working waterfronts.

While the conference is full, head to the link in our bio to join the waitlist or learn more about the livestreamed plenary and keynote sessions.

Photo captions:
1. Research Scientist David Ernst sampling blue mussel larvae off the coast of Maine to develop monitoring tools that could help farmers with seed collection.
2. Research Scientist Robin Sleith helps out during a tour with Maine Oyster Company, a leading aquaculture business in the state that also opened their dock to the Maine-eDNA team for sampling (Credit: Sydney Greenlee).
3. Former postdoctoral scientist Melissa Rocker poses with a lobster that is part of an experiment measuring epizootic shell disease (Credit: Catie Cleveland/College of Charleston).

10/15/2026

Grateful to partner with Maine Coast Fishermen's Association by offering local fish for school lunch at Auburn Middle School! This initiative is part of our Bringing the Sea Inland program, which reduces barriers for inland and rural communities to participate in ocean exploration. This fall, we have engaged 200 middle schoolers in hands-on marine science exploration activities and educational boat trips and we look forward to connecting with more students this spring!

09/29/2026

Join Maine Sea Grant on the afternoon of November 5th for the Biennial Research Symposium, where our outgoing research cohort will present their research findings and our new cohort will discuss the motivations and details of their upcoming projects. Tickets are free and Q&A sessions will give you the opportunity to ask scientists about their research and how it will benefit Maine’s coastal communities. Research presentations and discussions will be followed by a seafood reception! You can find registration info at the link in our bio.

09/24/2026

Cleaner water, dam removals, and efforts to reduce threats are helping create better conditions for Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon recovery in Maine’s coastal rivers. To build on that progress, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) in collaboration with Maine Sea Grant has launched a campaign that encourages the public to report sturgeon sightings and follow safe handling practices when these remarkable fish are accidentally caught. The campaign, “Catch a Sturgeon, Let It Go. See a Sturgeon, Let Us Know,” invites people to take simple actions to support sturgeon conservation. FMI https://bit.ly/3SZCNTm

09/18/2026

Congratulations to our five Sea-run fish interns: Jordan Anderson, Lindell Smiley, Jayden Dostie, Delphine Mailhot, and Willow Adler, on a successful summer working to protect three threatened fish species in Maine: the Atlantic Sturgeon, Shortnose Sturgeon, and Atlantic Salmon. 🐟

Interns gained experience in fish identification and handling, tagging and monitoring, fish scale analysis, science communication, and data entry and analysis. Working with partners at the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Team, their fieldwork will be key in various long-term studies monitoring habitat, growth, and distribution of these fish species, in order to protect their populations for years to come.

Scroll to read some reviews of the program in their own words.

If you're interested in learning more about their experiences, you can read the article at the link in our bio.

(These activities were conducted pursuant to NMFS ESA Permit No. 20347)

09/15/2026

Registration is open for the first-ever Maine Working Waterfront Conference, which will be held November 12-13 in Bar Harbor.

This conference is open to anyone working on the water and will connect coastal communities to one another and to the organizations working to support them, like the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). GMRI is one of our generous Fleet sponsors for the event! In their own words:

“We see the Maine Working Waterfront Conference as an opportunity to reach more people with our workforce development, strategic investment, innovation, and waterfront access protection initiatives and to strengthen marine industries and build more resilient coastal communities for the future.”

Find the link to register in our bio.

09/03/2026

Maine Sea Grant is pleased to announce four new marine research projects! 🦀 🌊

From sea scallops to rock crabs, Maine Sea Grant’s 2026-2028 cohort of biennial research awardees will contribute to the conservation of important Maine species, management of tidal ecosystems, and sustainable development of Maine’s seafood industry. By collaborating with communities and industry members, researchers will ensure their findings directly benefit Maine’s coastal communities and beyond. We look forward to sharing more about their research journeys over the next two years.

Below are the four projects selected for the 2026-2028 Biennial Research Competition:

Evaluating Environmental Change and Rockweed Harvest Impacts on Crustaceans in Maine's Intertidal Zone, led by Dr. Hannah Webber at Schoodic Institute

Monitoring spatial and temporal variability in sea scallop larval supply to support scallop aquaculture and wild fishery development, led by Dr. Alexa Dayton at Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries

Assessing changes in sediment quality and harvester access to shellfish resources in Maine's tidal flats, led by Dr. Hannah Baranes at Gulf of Maine Research Institute

Advancing Seafood Safety Education for Marine-Dependent Socio-Ecological Systems in Maine, led by Dr. Gülsün Akdemir Evrendilek at University of Maine

09/01/2026

Don't miss the first-ever Maine Working Waterfront Conference in Bar Harbor on November 12 and 13. Featuring a seafood happy hour, field trips across Mount Desert Island, and a sponsor exhibition, the event will showcase creative solutions to the challenges facing Maine's working waterfront and the seafood sector it supports.

Expect to share stories, tools, and resources with business and wharf owners, fishermen, sea farmers, municipal staff and volunteers, policy makers, researchers, service providers, students, and others working in our coastal communities.

Register at https://seagrant.umaine.edu/topic-working-waterfronts-conference/

08/20/2026

Could Japan hold the key to unlock urchin farming in Maine? Maine Sea Grant's Dana Morse joins Maine Calling live Friday (8/21) at 11 a.m. to share insights from a March trip to Hokkaido. He traveled with a group of aquaculture and fisheries specialists from the Northeast. Their findings could support Maine’s wild urchin fishery and help build a green sea urchin aquaculture industry here at home.

“I am already thinking of a bunch of applied, collaborative research and education projects to build on this,” Dana explains. “Things that would fit well for both our wild resources and farming. And it's gonna be a blast.”

Tune in to Maine Public this Friday to learn more: https://www.mainepublic.org/show/maine-calling -to-the-show

And let us know, do you like urchin roe?

08/11/2026

Turning the tide on marine debris takes collaboration and creativity. That's why this September 21st and 22nd, we're bringing scientists, policy leaders, and biomaterial experts together to share innovations and solutions that keep trash out of marine environments.

Don’t miss the upcoming symposium — Marine Debris at the Source: Finding Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic. The best part is that it’s free for all students and UMaine staff.

If you're a student, faculty member, or professional working on marine debris solutions, there's still time to submit an abstract for the poster session.

Find links to register, see the agenda, and submit a poster in our bio. We're excited to see you there!

Address

5784 York Complex
Orono, ME
04469

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+12075811435

Website

https://linktr.ee/maineseagrant

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