News from Maine Sea Grant | Spring 2017

*On May 5, President Trump* signed an omnibus appropriation bill to fund
the federal government for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year
(through September
30, 2017). Thanks to an outpouring of support, the proposal to cut Sea
Grant was unsuccessful. We are grateful for the efforts of Senators Collins
and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin to preserve Sea Grant and
provide an appropriation totaling $72.5 million of which $9.5 million is
for aquaculture. This is roughly equal to the 2016 appropriation and allows
the national network to meet its commitments and continue to support
critical research, education, and outreach on coastal issues. However, it
is our understanding that the President’s proposed budget for 2018 will
again propose elimination of the Sea Grant Program. In the coming months,
the Sea Grant Association will be sharing information with the
Congressional delegation and with stakeholders and beneficiaries to
encourage individuals and institutions to share stories of how Sea Grant
has helped you.  We have heard from many people across the nation in
response to proposed cuts and we hope those voices will rise again, to save
Sea Grant from being eliminated. If this is an issue that concerns you,
please contact Director Paul Anderson ([log in to unmask]) for more
information. Learn about our impact on the state in the one page fact sheet
<http://seagrant.umaine.edu/files/MaineSeaGrant_Economic%20Impacts%20032717.pdf>.



*Change is bittersweet,* and we are both sad and excited to announce that
Director Paul Anderson will be leaving the University of Maine later this
summer to serve as Executive Director of Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries
<https://coastalfisheries.org/>, succeeding Robin Alden who will be
stepping down later this year. Paul has led the Maine Sea Grant Program for
more than 15 years, and has played a leadership role in the National Sea
Grant Network. As Anderson transitions his skills and dedication to the
people of Maine into a new venture, the University of Maine will be
initiating a search for a new Maine Sea Grant Director this summer.


*We have a new website <http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/>**!* Maine Sea
Grant’s online presence has been updated thanks to the hard work of
Information Technology Coordinator Jenny Spekhardt. Please bear with us
over the next few weeks as we resolve technical issues associated with the
site transition.


*EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS*

*Forsythia blooming yet?* Are there buds on the lilacs? Robins in the
grass? Signs of the Seasons trainings
<https://extension.umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/training/>are underway
across the state for observers of seasonal changes. A recent program at
Fields Pond Audubon Center included several teachers and representatives of
local land trusts, and was covered by WABI
<http://wabi.tv/2017/04/25/how-to-become-a-citizen-scientist/>.


*EXTENSION HIGHLIGHTS*

A draft program for the 2017 Beaches Conference: Our Maine and New
Hampshire Beaches and Coasts
<http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/maine-beaches-conference> is now available;
registration opens in late May.



Mapping Ocean Stories; Past, Present, Future is a new collaborative project
with the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, and advisors to use
oral history and mapping techniques to record the complex ways that island
and coastal communities have interacted and used the Gulf of Maine, and how
they have responded to changing fisheries, local economies, and broader
forces. Documenting historical and contemporary uses as well as change and
adaptation to change within living memory will provide place-based insights
into future strategies to respond to changes and build community
resilience. For more information, contact Sea Grant marine extension
associate Natalie Springuel <[log in to unmask]>.

Marine extension associate Esperanza Stancioff and colleagues from NOAA,
UMaine School of Marine Sciences, and the Northeast Coastal Acidification
Network have been awarded $35,000 from the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program
to develop an ocean and coastal acidification citizen science monitoring
training program <http://www.necan.org/> in the Northeast using new EPA
guidance for protocols, beginning with technical trainings and educational
materials through an initial series of three regional workshops in Maine,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut.


*RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS*

This spring, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is set to
adopt a brand new stock assessment model developed by Sea Grant researcher
Yong Chen and his postdoctoral research associate Jie Cao. For the first
time, management will account for shrimp’s complex life history, the
seasonal nature of fishing, and environmental conditions. Read more in
*Fishermen’s
Voice*
<http://www.fishermensvoice.com/archives/201703NewModelAccountsForNorthernShrimpsSensitivityToTemperature.html>
.



Attention seafood industry members: proposals are now being accepted for
the capital grants program
<https://www.mainetechnology.org/program/alliance-maines-marine-economy-capital-grants-program/>
created through the new Alliance for Maine’s Marine Economy. This program
will be administered through the Maine Technology Institute, with proposals
due in September. The goal of the program is to to assist traditional
fisheries, aquaculture and other seafood-related businesses to grow, become
profitable, and create jobs by providing up to 50% of the costs of capital
equipment related projects and/or to advance the standards and practices in
these marine industries.


*PUBLICATIONS & SEA GRANT IN THE NEWS*

“Arctic warming and Maine
<http://maineboats.com/print/issue-145/arctic-warming-and-maine>” in *Maine
Boats, Homes & Harbors* Magazine March/April issue.



Remember to tune in to WERU-FM for Coastal Conversations on the fourth
Friday of the month!

February 24, 2017: Maine's salt marshes
<http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/coastalconversations/saltmarshes>
March 24, 2017: What is the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network?
<http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/coastalconversations/SEANET>
April 28, 2017: Sea kayaking safety in cold water
<http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/coastalconversations/kayaksafety>
May 26, 2017: Downeast Fisheries Partnership
June 23, 2017: River and stream restoration



A collection of vintage photos from the Maine Atlantic Salmon Museum
<http://www.maineatlanticsalmonmuseum.org/> is now on display at the Fields
Pond Audubon Center <http://maineaudubon.org/find-us/fields-pond/> in
Holden. The collection features early angling techniques like harling, as
well as emphasizing the contributions of women in salmon fishing.

*EVENTS*


*20 May *| Blackman Stream Spring Runs at Maine Forest & Logging Museum
<http://www.maineforestandloggingmuseum.org/programs-2> | Bradley


* 27-28 May* | Spring Alewife Festival
<http://www.maineforestandloggingmuseum.org/programs-2> | Damariscotta Mills

* 4 June* | 11th International Conference & Workshop on Lobster
<http://www.11thicwl.com/> | Portland



*24 June *| Maine Fare: Harvesting the River
<https://www.mainefarmlandtrust.org/event/harvesting-the-river/> |
Damariscotta

*1 June* | Maine Literary Awards
<http://mainewriters.org/programs/maine-literary-awards/> | Portland

*14 July *| The Beaches Conference
<http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/maine-beaches-conference> | Wells


*Ongoing* | Lobstering & The Maine Coast
<http://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/new-lobstering-maine-coast-exhibit/> |
Maine Maritime Museum


------------------------------


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University of Maine | Orono, ME 04469
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