Maine Sea Grant

We consider the current evidence of climate change effects on marine mammals that occur in U.S. waters relative to past predictions. Compelling cases of such effects have been documented, though few studies have confirmed population-level impacts on abundance or vital rates. While many of the observed effects had been predicted, some unforeseen and relatively acute consequences have also been documented. Effects often occur when climate-induced alterations are superimposed upon marine mammals’ ecological (e.g., predator-prey) relationships or coincident human activities. As they were unanticipated, some of the unpredicted effects of climate change have strained the ability of existing conservation and management systems to respond effectively. The literature is replete with cases suggestive of climate change impacts on marine mammals, but which remain unconfirmed. This uncertainty is partially explained by insufficient research and monitoring designed to reveal the connections. Detecting and mitigating the impacts of climate change will require some realignment of research and monitoring priorities, coupled with rapid and flexible management that includes both conventional and novel conservation interventions.

Coastal ecosystems provide important ecosystem services for millions of people. Climate change is modifying coastal ecosystem food web structure and function and threatens these essential ecosystem services. We used a combination of two new and one existing ecosystem food web models and altered scenarios that are possible with climate change to quantify the impacts of climate change on ecosystem stability in three coastal bays in Maine, United States. We also examined the impact of climate change on bivalve fisheries and aquaculture. Our modeled scenarios explicitly considered the predicted effects of future climatic change and human intervention and included: 1) the influence of increased terrestrial dissolved organic carbon loading on phytoplankton biomass; 2) benthic community change driven by synergisms between climate change, historical overfishing, and increased species invasion; and 3) altered trophic level energy transfer driven by ocean warming and acidification. The effects of climate change strongly negatively influenced ecosystem energy flow and ecosystem stability and negatively affected modeled bivalve carrying capacity in each of our models along the Maine coast of the eastern United States. Our results suggest that the interconnected nature of ecosystem food webs make them extremely vulnerable to synergistic effects of climate change. To better inform fisheries and aquaculture management, the effects of climate change must be explicitly incorporated.

Climate change poses known and unknown risks for coastal communities and also challenges for university faculty and local government staff who communicate about cli- mate sciences. Conceived as a way to move beyond traditional models of science communication, this project involved public and private decision makers in specific at-risk communities in Oregon (U.S. Pacific coast) and Maine (Atlantic coast). Both state projects sought to move behavior toward decisive action that results in coastal communities that are more resilient to climate variability at all scales. To promote engagement between project staffs and publics, a dialogic model of communication was advanced, beginning with interviews and focus groups that in turn shaped further engagement through workshops and targeted video products. This means of communication led to a deeper understanding of participants’ knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, values, and barriers to action related to climate change and its effects. Coinciding with this, project participant evaluations in both Oregon and Maine indicate that the workshops and videos were successful at informing them on this complex issue; and in both states, project participation led to action outcomes. We believe that applied elsewhere our multifaceted and adaptive approach will garner similar results, provided sufficient dedicated staffing and attention to methods.

Scallops are one of the most heavily traded and widely consumed seafood in the world and the vast majority of production comes from aquaculture. In 2018, the global value of scallop aquaculture was over $5.8 billion USD with farms producing nearly three times the biomass as the entirety of the wild harvest. North American (specifically U.S. and Canadian) scallop aquaculture lags far behind the rest of the world. The U.S. is home to a valuable Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery. Yet demand for scallops far outstrips supply and the U.S. imports an almost equal amount, by value, of farmed scallop products. To capitalize on this trade imbalance, U.S. and Canadian aquaculturists have been developing a farmed sea scallop (hereafter scallop) industry, employing the Japanese practices of suspended net culture and the sale of whole and “roe-on” products. We examined the combined effects of culture method and environment on scallop shell growth and mortality. We compiled all published net cultured scallop shell growth and mortality rates recorded in the last 45 years in the Northwest Atlantic. Using generalized additive models (GAMs), we identified significant nonlinear interactions between growth, mortality, environmental conditions, and culture methods applicable from Maine, USA to Newfoundland, Canada. Optimum shell growth occurs within a temperature window of 10–15 °C. Growth is higher in pearl nets than in lantern nets, and is also highly sensitive to stocking density, which has large implications for farm sizes and thinning practices. Maximum mortality occurs at the highest temperatures in our dataset (~17 °C), while stocking density is only a significant predictor of product loss at high densities. Scallops are also more susceptible to mortality at shell heights under 25 mm. Both mortality rates and shell height growth rates were lower in the late spring and early summer after accounting for temperature effects. Careful temperature based site selection and proactive low density stocking can mitigate the effects of intraspecific competition and reduce handling related mortality. Identifying lease sites that provide both optimal environmental conditions and adequate space for low density net culture will be an important step in expanding scallop aquaculture in the Northwest Atlantic.

Humans have been telling stories nearly since we became Homo sapiens, sharing them orally before the invention of writing. Storytelling may even be an evolutionary mechanism, embedded in our very DNA, which helped keep our ancestors alive (Smith et al. 2017). A narrative develops from both data and emotions, which is significantly more effective in engaging a listener than data alone (Dahlstrom 2014). Additionally, sharing stories connects us to one another. When we convey both information and our personal experiences through storytelling, our listeners begin to connect what they hear to their own lives (Downs 2014). Through this process, rapport is built, along with credibility and trust. In short, humans are hard wired for storytelling (Pickering and Garrod 2004, Stephens et al. 2010). And, anyone can tell a story, making it an incredibly empowering and effective form of communication for multiple scenarios. Storytelling can serve as an effective tool for community engagement, particularly with regard to environmental issues. Effective sharing of conservation success stories has been critical in providing useful information to design similar interventions to improve ecosystem and human health (Leslie et al. 2013, Gross et al. 2018). Local community members frequently have place-based stories to share about their environments, especially those who observe it every day (Polfus et al. 2016). Stories range from anecdotal incidents to narratives that document and explain annual ecological patterns within the ecosystems that surround and support human communities (Ban et al. 2017, Robbins 2018). Sharing these stories empowers community members by demonstrating not only their knowledge, but also their care and value of the environment they live in every day. The local knowledge communities hold about their surrounding ecosystems can illuminate the past and dictate its future (Plieninger et al. 2014). The value of science to humanity is almost immeasurable. Science has extended human lives, transformed the way we understand and see the world, and changed our daily existence. And yet, today, the pursuit of discovery and the scientists who conduct the work are often disconnected from society. By partnering with communities, scientists have an opportunity to improve access to and understanding of technical and scientific information (Leslie et al. 2013). In this way, scientists can better support the inclusion of communities in important decision-making processes (Varga et al. 2016). Likewise, community members have deep knowledge and experience that can benefit the pursuit of scientific knowledge (Ban et al. 2017, Jardine 2019). Scientist–community partnerships are vital to addressing pressing environmental concerns, natural resource management challenges, and community well-being, but barriers can complicate effective collaborations and partnership development. Actively listening to stories means respecting the perspective of the teller, and this makes a difference in building strong, lasting relationships (Weger et al. 2014). This does not mean giving up the perspective as a scientist, but rather, demonstrates a way to develop trusting relationships and collaborative, community partnerships. When community members are heard by scientists, they feel valued not only for their information, but for their emotional stake in their environment (Varga et al. 2016). Local communities can provide important and meaningful long-term insight to drive ecological research on effective paths for the benefit of both the community and the ecosystem. An example of this kind of collaboration is the Midcoast Maine Collaborative Scallop Project, based at the Hurricane Island Foundation in Rockland, Maine (more information about the project available online).1 While lobster was and remains the number-one fishery in Maine, scallops have been an extraordinarily lucrative winter fishery for Maine fishermen since the 1980s (Maine Department of Marine Resources 2018). However, in the late 1990s through the early 2000s, there was a steady decline in scallop catch and value. The offshore federal scallop fishery had gone through a similar decline in the early 1990s, and fishing closures were implemented in 1994. Five years later, offshore scallop population size had increased at least an order of magnitude. This result was heralded as a fisheries management and conservation success story by policymakers and scientists alike; fishing closures worked! Scientists and policymakers at the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) shared this story with fishermen in meetings all over the state, saying if it worked for the federal fishery, why not here in Maine? There were views from all sides including voices that did not want to enact closures at all. DMR and stakeholder organizations held many scores of meetings to listen to fishermen's knowledge and desires. Ultimately, in 2009, DMR decided to administer varying closure regimes in each management zone as an attempt to reflect the opinions of the fishery (information on the management plan available online).2 After three years of selective closures, fishermen in each zone along the coast of Maine developed their own management plans. Some regions saw the benefits of the closed areas and those developed into rotational closures. Others observed only limited success of the closures, and resulting management focused on reducing access to fishing areas rather than developing rotational closures. One year later, in 2013, when DMR was deciding which areas would remain closed while others would be opened, a fisherman approached policymakers at DMR and the Island Institute with an idea for a collaborative research project between fishermen and scientists (the Island Institute was the original institution for this project; institute description available online).3 Tad Miller, the fisherman, had noticed the success of long-term (three or more years) rotational closures, and proposed a scallop fishing closure in a small area for three (now six) years within a zone without rotational closures. He, along with other fishermen in the area, was most interested in studying the impact such a closure would have on scallop population abundance and density in a scallop bed that had historically supported an abundant population. The non-profit Island Institute, a coastal community development organization, recognized the importance of fishermen developing a research question, and backed the project for its first year. From their perspective, a research project driven by the interest of fishermen to test the impact of a small-scale closure on sea scallops was unprecedented. As a first step, Island Institute, DMR, benthic ecologists (including S. Bayer), and local fishermen convened a meeting. Charts were laid out and fishermen told stories for hours about how a particular area within one zone between underwater cables once flourished with scallops, but no longer did. They thought that because of the cables, it would be an easy spot to close; it was too difficult to drag fishing gear in certain parts of the area. The scientists proposed what parameters of scallop biology and ecology could be studied using SCUBA and field surveys.4 These methods include SCUBA dives that collected scallops for sex ratios, shell size frequency, and population density. Additionally, researcher Caitlin Cleaver and her team employed the Stokesbury Lab from UMass Dartmouth to conduct video surveys (Bethoney and Stokesbury 2018). Finally, spat bags were deployed to collect information on larval settlement. The fishermen carefully explained the required logistics to the scientists who would need to use their boats, their knowledge, and their time to conduct surveys each year. The scientists and fishermen developed camaraderie and a deep bond of trust through this project. At the center of the project was Caitlin Cleaver, the researcher who would coordinate the fishermen and the scientists, and write the grants for research funds to conduct scallop surveys every year. In sociology terms, she was a boundary spanner or central actor, communicating among all stakeholders involved (Sandmann et al. 2014). It was a big job, and with the help of a few dedicated scientists and fishermen, the project was pulled off for five years while Cleaver was the Science Director at Hurricane Island Foundation. Dedicated fishermen were also critical. Tad and Dan Miller, brothers, were two of the most dedicated fishermen on the project. Tad had a dragger, a net of metal rings that towed the seafloor for adult-sized scallops, and Dan had a fishing license. Together, they could fish scallops (and have for several decades). They admired Cleaver's involvement as a scientist and coordinator. “Cait's the engine driving the train there,” said Dan in an interview conducted by Bayer to evaluate perspectives from the project participants after five years. He emphasized, “This project, and there's nothing like it in Maine, couldn't be done without her.” (D. Miller, personal communication). Likewise, a research project like this cannot be done without fishermen like Tad and Dan who understand the importance of building relationships with scientists. “I'm a believer in cooperative research; it's a no brainer,” said Tad in an interview (T. Miller, personal communication). He thinks that applying the combined knowledge of fishermen and scientists is the only way to improve the scallop industry. “Once you understand [how a system works], it changes how you look at it,” Tad has said about why it's important. He thinks that collaborative research with scientists should be part of a fisherman apprenticeship program. The most important result from this kind of work, says Tad, is not whether the data from this experimental fishing closure show an impact on scallops. Instead, Tad believes that when “you gain that relationship [with scientists], that's invaluable.… that's the type of relationships that can talk shop, they comprehend what you're saying and vice versa” (T. Miller, personal communication). Indeed, these relationships are the most valuable in developing successful long-term ecological and environmental research projects (Bodin 2017), and it all starts with sharing stories and truly listening to one another. However, for these projects to flourish, time is needed for the relationships to take root in communities. It is not enough to get funding for the “seeds” of a project, as it is the “soil” that is required to grow strong, long-lasting partnerships (Schwarz et al. 2019). This is an important consideration when engaging in community-based projects; if the dedication to a community-based project is only short term, it is not reasonable to assume the community will be dedicated to the science. Storytelling is the water of human communication; we all need it to understand one another and it is the most natural and easy way to share and comprehend information. When scientists share stories about their own lives and experiences, they become relatable to audiences beyond traditional academia (Schinske et al. 2016). Scientists can leverage this communication tool while working with communities to better understand and conserve our environments. And, there are a few ways to do this most effectively. The late Stanford University Professor of Environmental Biology and Global Change, Dr. Stephen Schneider, offered three guiding principles for scientists preparing to share their work broadly: “Know thy audience! Know thyself! Know thy stuff!” (Hermansson 2010). His principles are fundamental to effective science communication and storytelling. At first, these rules for effective communication can seem simple and straightforward, but each has nuances that are important to consider. To apply these principles effectively, there is some personal work required. Starting from the top, what does it really mean to know thy audience? What is important to know and keep in mind while engaging? The first question to explore is “Who is the target audience?” In this article, we have primarily discussed scientists engaging with communities, but we can think more broadly about different types of audiences too. Are they policymakers? non-scientists? journalists? citizen-science groups? landowners? community groups? children? Secondly, each group has a particular set of values, perspectives, needs, and goals. As an effective communicator and storyteller, it is important to identify what those are for each individual audience. We can do this by being open and curious about our audiences, and willing to ask questions, listen, and respect their perspectives (Martinez-Conde and Macknik 2017). Next, an effective communicator and storyteller is asked to know thyself. Think about your personal goals and values, your why for communicating. Next, consider how you might share a piece of your own personal story with the audience. Part of being human is sharing stories. And, in doing so, connections and perhaps even trust can be built (Fiske and Dupree 2014). How might this look? In the story above, both the scientists and fishermen care about their future livelihoods and the livelihoods of others within the community; they share the same community, and therefore, some of the same values already. Cleaver, for example, has family members that lobster for a living, and she wants both them and the fisheries of Maine to have a future. While she had never worked on a fishing boat prior to the cooperative scallop project, sharing her personal connection to fishing through family was something that bonded her to collaborators like Tad and Dan Miller. Through interviews, it became clear that fishing was not the only value that scientists and fishermen connected over. The central shared value was family, one of the most fundamental for all humans. Finally, know thy stuff. This is the piece that probably comes most naturally to scientists, but again, there is some nuance here. Scientists have the tendency to want to tell everything, all at once. Not only can this be boring for an audience, but it is also an ineffective way to share information. Most people can only hold up to five ideas in their minds at one time (Rouder et al. 2008). Don't let the audience choose what to take away! Instead, share only the handful of main ideas most important to remember. And, share this information without the use of scientific jargon. Test out the message on a friend that is not an expert on the topic, and have them help identify words that may be confusing. Then, find new and creative ways to talk about the subject without using these words. There are many structures a story can take (Green et al. 2018). The shape is less important than making sure each element of good storytelling is considered. Effective stories share common traits (Downs 2014, Green et al. 2018): Stories make us who we are. They are central to human existence: our most instinctive and universal means of communicating. Stories help us build relationships with one another through exchanging perspectives between teller and listener. To deepen our impact as scientists, we need to share stories that show our values. That connection, a passion for the topic and why we care about it, is evidence of our humanity. Equally important is valuing the stories of others, like community members with knowledge of and connections to the systems we study. Storytelling can entwine scientists with communities who will ultimately benefit one another through the practice.

Despite the profitability of the wild Atlantic Sea Scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, fishery, the U.S. still imports more than 26,000 tonnes of various scallop products annually. Atlantic Sea Scallop (hereafter referred to as scallop) aquaculture is one method of mitigating this imbalance. We examined scallop growth at three sites across the mouth of Penobscot Bay, Maine to determine the coupled effects of lantern net stocking density and temperature on growth and mortality. Scallops were held in high and low (20 and 10 individuals tier−1, respectively) density treatments, and shell height measurements were recorded monthly for one year. We divided the growth rate analysis into three periods: winter - spring, summer, and fall. During summer across all sites, growth rates were 75 % higher in low-density nets than in high-density nets. We observed significant nonlinear relationships between shell height growth rate, temperature, and stocking density. Optimal growth occurred within a window of 10–15 °C. Above this threshold, there was a distinct negative relationship between temperature and growth. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining low densities within nets, particularly during periods of high temperature and growth. However, handling in summer and early fall may lead to mortality. Therefore, we recommend that growers stock nets at low densities in the spring, ensuring that they will not require thinning during peak temperatures. Similarly, finding sites that maximize time within a thermal envelope of 10–15 °C will be critical, which in the case of the Gulf of Maine will most likely warrant leasing sites at the mouths of estuaries and bays. These locations offer a combination of sufficient depth and space for sparsely stocked nets, adequate food levels, and optimal salinity and temperature.

More than a century of impoundments in the Penobscot River, Maine, USA, has contributed to population declines in migratory fish in the system. A decade of change, research, and monitoring has revealed direct and indirect ways that dams have influenced the river habitat, connectivity for migratory fish, and the food web. The removal of two main-stem dams (in 2012 and 2013) and bolstering of fish passage have been part of coordinated restoration efforts in the watershed. Integral to this undertaking was support for short- and long-term monitoring and research that included physical habitat, fish passage, and broad scale ecological assessments. Herein we discuss the seven interconnected and complex ways that dams have affected the Penobscot River ecosystem, particularly for migratory fish. These include familiar influences ascribed to dams: i) impaired access to habitat, ii) injury and mortality, and iii) delays of migration. Other ecological influences are less studied and more subtle: iv) facilitation of predation, v) community shifts, and vi) demographic shifts. Lastly, dams result in vii) a loss of ecosystem services that would otherwise be intact in an unimpounded system. We draw on both direct examples from the Penobscot River and broader information to characterize how impoundments have transformed this ecosystem for more than a century. Recent dam removals and mitigation efforts have reestablished some of these ecological functions.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world and is quickly diversifying. In the Northwest Atlantic, interest in sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) (hereafter scallop) aquaculture has grown substantially. However, technical and economic challenges have hindered industry growth. We conducted bioeconomic simulations for various sized farms that targeted either live "whole" scallops or the shucked adductor muscle "meat." The majority of farms selling whole scallops were profitable. However, all farms selling meats generated negative returns. Labor made up the greatest portion of costs in model simulations and increased linearly with farm size, representing a significant bottleneck. Whole scallop farm value was most sensitive to changes in (1) market price and (2) time to market. Our analysis suggests four strategies to increase farmed scallop production in the Northwest Atlantic: (1) mechanize low density net culture, (2) optimize net stocking densities, (3) build site selection tools, and (4) invest in consumer education, end-markets, and biotoxin testing for whole scallops. The sector will require a combination of regulatory, industry, and research cooperation to overcome these pressing challenges, but holds the potential to profitably diversify the bivalve aquaculture industry.

Ocean and coastal acidification (OCA) present a unique set of sustainability challenges at the human-ecological interface. Extensive biogeochemical monitoring that can assess local acidification conditions, distinguish multiple drivers of changing carbonate chemistry, and ultimately inform local and regional response strategies is necessary for successful adaptation to OCA. However, the sampling frequency and cost-prohibitive scientific equipment needed to monitor OCA are barriers to implementing the widespread monitoring of dynamic coastal conditions. Here, we demonstrate through a case study that existing community-based water monitoring initiatives can help address these challenges and contribute to OCA science. We document how iterative, sequential outreach, workshop-based training, and coordinated monitoring activities through the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (a) assessed the capacity of northeastern United States community science programs and (b) engaged community science programs productively with OCA monitoring efforts. Our results (along with the companion manuscript) indicate that community science programs are capable of collecting robust scientific information pertinent to OCA and are positioned to monitor in locations that would critically expand the coverage of current OCA research. Furthermore, engaging community stakeholders in OCA science and outreach enabled a platform for dialogue about OCA among other interrelated environmental concerns and fostered a series of co-benefits relating to public participation in resource and risk management. Activities in support of community science monitoring have an impact not only by increasing local understanding of OCA but also by promoting public education and community participation in potential adaptation measures.

Abstract Comprehensive sampling of the carbonate system in estuaries and coastal waters can be difficult and expensive because of the complex and heterogeneous nature of near-shore environments. We show that sample collection by community science programs is a viable strategy for expanding estuarine carbonate system monitoring and prioritizing regions for more targeted assessment. ‘Shell Day’ was a single-day regional water monitoring event coordinating coastal carbonate chemistry observations by 59 community science programs and seven research institutions in the northeastern United States, in which 410 total alkalinity (TA) samples from 86 stations were collected. Field replicates collected at both low and high tides had a mean standard deviation between replicates of 3.6 ± 0.3 µ mol kg −1 ( σ mean ± SE, n = 145) or 0.20 ± 0.02%. This level of precision demonstrates that with adequate protocols for sample collection, handling, storage, and analysis, community science programs are able to collect TA samples leading to high-quality analyses and data. Despite correlations between salinity, temperature, and TA observed at multiple spatial scales, empirical predictions of TA had relatively high root mean square error >48 µ mol kg −1 . Additionally, ten stations displayed tidal variability in TA that was not likely driven by low TA freshwater inputs. As such, TA cannot be predicted accurately from salinity using a single relationship across the northeastern US region, though predictions may be viable at more localized scales where consistent freshwater and seawater endmembers can be defined. There was a high degree of geographic heterogeneity in both mean and tidal variability in TA, and this single-day snapshot sampling identified three patterns driving variation in TA, with certain locations exhibiting increased risk of acidification. The success of Shell Day implies that similar community science based events could be conducted in other regions to not only expand understanding of the coastal carbonate system, but also provide a way to inventory monitoring assets, build partnerships with stakeholders, and expand education and outreach to a broader constituency.

Students develop personal connections to local places and build critical thinking skills as they engage in meaningful problem-solving rooted in place. At the same time, when students work within local communities, they can contribute to increased community technical capacity and well-being. In this case study, we sought to explore student and community perceptions of a place-based activity integrated within a college-level GIS course in Maine, USA. We partnered with a local conservation organization to develop place-based activities to address our partner’s geospatial needs. We drew on multiple data generation methods including pre-/post-test student responses within a quasi-experimental design, student reflections, and a group interview with community partners to illuminate the diverse benefits and challenges of place-based education (PBE). Our findings indicate that while quantitative results did not detect differences between the place-based, technologically-mediated place-based, and campus-based approaches, qualitative results – such as student reflections and community partner perceptions – depicted complex reciprocal gains resulting from education rooted in local community. Community partners benefit from PBE by increasing their GIS capacity and engaging on a personal level with students. We conclude with implications for GIS instructors seeking to incorporate place-based approaches within their college-level courses, such as the need to engage community partners thoughtfully and transparently, think critically about measurement and assessment of learning outcomes, and remain flexible to student needs.

Abstract Seal populations in the Gulf of Maine have been recovering from historical bounty‐driven declines since they received federal protection in 1972. In the past few decades, their population growth has sparked renewed concerns over conflict between pinniped and fish conservation. In the Penobscot River in Maine, USA, where restoration efforts over the past decade have aimed at restoring diadromous fish runs, seal predation on the endangered Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) has become a growing concern. Quantitative and qualitative data for individual salmon, as well as the presence of putative seal‐induced injury, have been collected from salmon passing upriver at dams in the Penobscot River since 2012. An analysis of seal‐induced injury rate with demographic data, river herring returns, estuary fish biomass estimates, and timing of peak estuary fish biomass revealed that the seal‐induced injury rate declined in the Penobscot River from 2012 to 2019, coincident with increasing river herring returns and estuary fish biomass. Despite a potentially increasing seal population, these results suggest that predator swamping from increasing forage fish may provide protection to salmon against seal predation. The presence of multiple injuries on an individual salmon was also significantly associated with the probability of a salmon having a seal‐induced injury. Lamprey wounds and lacerations on salmon were commonly associated with seal‐induced injury, suggesting a confounding effect of multiple stressors. This assessment illustrates how multi‐species diadromous restoration activities may alter predator–prey interactions in ways that support salmon conservation efforts. As demonstrated in the Penobscot River, a focus on overall ecosystem health and restoration can benefit multiple species that use the river. Insights from this study may help inform future management decisions in other human‐impacted systems where protected predators come into conflict with endangered prey.

Facing challenges to the civic purpose of higher education, some scholars and administrators turn to the rhetoric of engagement. Simultaneously, the political philosophy of cosmopolitanism has gained intellectual favor, advocating openness to the lived experiences of distant others. We articulate linkages between these two discourses in an extended case study, finding that a cosmopolitan ethos of engagement in a rural context can improve (1) understanding among people ordinarily separated by spatialized social-ecological differences, (2) prospects for longer term environmental sustainability, and (3) the visionary potential of collaborative inquiry. Despite globalization of food systems and neoliberal shifts in fishery management, an annual fisheries forum facilitates coalitions that overcome dichotomies between technocratic and local knowledge, extending benefits to fishing communities, academia, and public policy. Iterative and loosely structured capacity building expands informally through affective processes of recognition and care, as decentralized leadership supports collective mobilization toward alternate futures. Enfrentando los desafíos de los fines cívicos de la educación superior, algunos académicos y administradores tornan a la retórica de engagement o involucración. Al mismo tiempo, la filosofía política del cosmopolitismo ha ganado reconocimiento, abogando por la apertura hacia las vivencias de los demás. Señalamos los vínculos entre estos dos discursos en un extenso estudio de caso, hallando que una ética cosmopolita de engagement en un contexto rural puede mejorar (1) la comprensión entre personas normalmente separadas por diferencias espaciales y socio-ecológicos, (2) las posibilidades de sostenibilidad medioambiental a largo plazo, y (3) el potencial visionario de la indagación colaborativa. A pesar de la globalización de los sistemas alimentarios y el aumento del neoliberalismo en la gestión de la pesca, un foro anual de pesquerías facilita coaliciones que superan las dicotomías entre el conocimiento tecnocrático y local, lo cual extiende beneficios a las comunidades pesqueras, la academia, y la política pública. Un desarrollo de capacidades iterativo y poco estructurado se expande de manera informal a través de procesos afectivos de reconocimiento y cuidado, mientras el liderazgo descentralizado apoya la movilización colectiva hacia futuros alternativos.

The Gulf of Maine has undergone dramatic physiographic and oceanographic changes over the last several millenia resulting in some unusual biogeographic consequences. One is that there are pockets of Virginian species, including Crassostra virginica (Eastern Oyster), that survive in isolated warm water pockets, usually at the heads of estuaries. These small and vulnerable populations need documentation, protection, and restoration in order to preserve their genetic characteristics and ecological services. In this contribution, we describe the circumstances whereby tidal restoration made available 2.5 linear km of new habitat area to the relict oyster population of the Marsh River, ME, the northernmost documented native oyster population in the United States. Oysters recruited to the new habitat quickly, demonstrating the restoration potential of isolated, relict populations. The resultant larger population size and areal extent should provide increased stability and survivability of the oyster and its associated community. These observations have implications for both the restoration potential of relict oyster populations and the consequences of climate change.

The desire for a sustainable seafood industry that protects the environment and the future of fishing is certainly of interest to consumers, but even here there are conflicting standards, as Catherine Schmitt explores in this article.

Increasing OA, combined with other stressors like warming and loss of oxygen, threatens marine species and ecosystems, including those that sustain jobs and support coastal economies. For the last 10 years, U.S. coastal states have played a key role in responding to OA specifically. In 2019, OA practitioners from the U.S. east and west coasts assembled for a multi-day conference focused on sharing and documenting advances in OA collaborations, governance and management strategies. Since that time, conference attendees, supported by conference organizer the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, have worked to distill the lessons learned and to synthesize collective experiences. To assist governments, agencies, and organizations in addressing OA, this paper describes state-level efforts to develop and implement OA actions within policy and management frameworks. We outline pathways to action and illustrate approaches that link OA with climate policy and environmental management.

Values and motivations can shape natural resource management decision-making as individuals set conservation goals based on diverse, unique backgrounds, histories, and experiences. Recent literature points to the need to understand, evaluate, and articulate practitioner values to make explicit how experiences shape their work. Our research responds to calls to explore a diverse range of values and motivations among conservation practitioners. We used a qualitative approach grounded in phenomenology to advance an in-depth understanding of how conservation and stewardship practitioners experience, acknowledge, and make sense of conservation decision-making in Maine, USA. We interviewed 21 conservation and stewardship practitioners. Our results indicate the presence of complex value systems, including strong biospheric, altruistic, eudaimonic, as well as egoistic values. These values interact and intersect with motivations for participants’ careers in conservation in unique ways, driving participant actions and decision-making. Within Maine specifically, our results highlight the many areas for convergence of broad values among seemingly diverse groups that can inform opportunities for collaboration. Participants expressed various pathways to careers in conservation, where their work enables them to make a meaningful contribution to the environment and society. However in situations where personal and organizational values are misaligned, the role of organizational transparency, employee empowerment, and agency are key. Our results have implications for conservation groups seeking to achieve high employee satisfaction, as well as researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who hope to inspire individuals to take on conservation careers to create sustainable and transformative action for the future. Fostering early experiences in place, including interactions with the non-human world and local community, are important for influencing and reinforcing values and motivations for conservation action.

Recent evidence suggests that climate change is occurring at an accelerated rate as a result of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and associated pollutants. Based on a recently completed study, the authors describe the changes Maine’s climate is likely to undergo over the next century. They suggest that while reduction of greenhouse gases is crucial, Maine needs to be prepared to adapt to the impact that our already changing climate will have on various ecosystems and economic sectors within the state

The news media is a primary way that science is communicated to American adults. News stories are driven by press releases and other communications “pushed” by institutions, publishers, organizations, and private companies. This article, from the perspective of a public science communicator, examines and critiques push communications, offers some best practices for press releases, and presents examples of other “pull” approaches to communicating science that more closely align with both the process of science and with the interests and values of public audiences.

In recent decades, abundance, spatial distribution, and physical condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (ABFT) have shifted, in part due to changes in the composition, distribution, and condition of available prey. Dietary studies conducted in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) over the past 30 yr have identified lipid-rich Atlantic herring Clupea harengus (‘herring’) as the primary ABFT prey, but recent stock assessments indicate poor spawning stock biomass and recruitment. Given these declines in abundance, we hypothesized that ABFT diet dominance would shift to an alternative, more abundant prey. Stomach content analysis from 379 ABFT collected in the GOM in 2018 and 2019 showed a reduced reliance on herring and an increased consumption of northern shortfin squid Illex illecebrosus , the dominant prey in frequency of occurrence (56.3%) and weight (23.0%). Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus was a secondary prey with similar presence (35.7%) in stomach samples as herring (23.5%). Other clupeids, such as Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus , alewives Alosa pseudoharengus , and blueback herring A. aestivalis , were more prevalent relative to previous studies, with menhaden and northern shortfin squid co-dominating the primary prey in 2019. ABFT condition increased seasonally in the GOM and was significantly greater than in ABFT from neighboring foraging habitats where herring were the dominant prey. Our results document a historic diet shift on primary seasonal foraging grounds and suggest that continued monitoring of ABFT diet and prey energetics are essential to understanding future ABFT presence and condition in the GOM.