Research

shrimp

Researcher finds it takes guts to locate elusive shrimp

Rachel Lasley-Rasher wanted to learn more about highly mobile shrimp that are important food for baleen whales and commercial fish along the continental shelf from Cape Hatteras to Nova Scotia. Because of their significance in the marine food web, she said a better understanding of shrimp migration patterns could fill knowledge gaps and help predict […]

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salamander

Science magazine publishes feature on Calhoun, vernal pool conservation

Science magazine published a feature article on Aram Calhoun, a professor of wetland ecology at the University of Maine, and her efforts to protect vernal pools. Calhoun is leading an innovative effort to overcome two of the tougher challenges in conservation biology in the United States: protecting vernal pools that are critical to the survival […]

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grains

Researchers receive $1 million to boost organic grain production in Maine

Researchers at the University of Maine have received a $1 million federal grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture to continue their efforts in boosting organic grain production in northern New England. “We are very excited by this new USDA award in that it recognizes the impact of the work we’ve done with farmers, millers […]

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sea slug

DMC scientist: Sea slug sniffs out seaweed’s chemicals, then stalks its prey

An underwater sea slug has evolved chemical foraging and defense abilities that are functionally identical to those of terrestrial insects, despite being unrelated to their land-based counterparts and living in vastly different habitats for 400 million years. “Specialized herbivores on land and sea appear to make a living in similar ways,” says University of Maine […]

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buoy

Buoy data to inform how aquaculture fits into working waterfront

University of Maine scientists have deployed an ocean-observing buoy at the mouth of the Damariscotta River to help scientists understand how different types and scales of aquaculture can fit into Maine’s multi-use working waterfront. The buoy is part of a National Science Foundation’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) project geared to assist the aquaculture sector […]

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grains

Media report on $1M federal grant for farming research

The Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News and WABI (Channel 5) reported the University of Maine has been awarded $999,120 to study pioneering farming technology and practices. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced the award in a press release. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded the collaborative research grant to UMaine to […]

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Public acceptance, support of climate policies focus of study

As climate policies evolve through the legislative process, public acceptance and support may change, as well. A recent study conducted by a team of University of Maine researchers found that even though acceptance is an important process through which policy perceptions and economic ideology influence support, acceptance doesn’t always lead to support. Through a national […]

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lobster boat

High-performance computer modeling to tackle fisheries future

Timely forecasts of storms and effective management of commercial fishing are essential in the wake of extreme weather events and unprecedented warming in the Gulf of Maine. Damian Brady, University of Maine assistant professor in the School of Marine Sciences at the Darling Marine Center, is working to advance both of those goals. The National […]

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