The Maine Department of Marine Resources has announced four grant awards to universities and community groups to be used for lobster research and education.
The Penobscot East Resource Center will receive USD 37,500 (EUR 33,600) to develop lobster curriculum for its Eastern Maine Skippers Program, an educational initiative for high school students planning to enter Maine’s lobster fishing industry. The Deer Isle-based nonprofit will engage industry experts in the development of its lobster curriculum including fishermen, dealers and scientists.
Another nonprofit, the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance, will collect USD 37,500 (EUR 33,600) to continue to grow its Maine Lobstermen’s Leadership Institute. The MLLI, founded 2014, provides education for Maine lobstermen and the grant will allow the creation a workshop on management, science, market and supply chain dynamics and product quality.
The University of Maine System will receive USD 127,482 (EUR 114,245) to develop a research project titled “A Proactive Approach to Addressing Lobster Health in the Context of a Changing Ecosystem.”
According to a press release, “Focus of the University of Maine System’s project will be on the changing ocean ecosystem and how these changes can impact lobster reproductive development and susceptibility to disease. An objective of the project is to develop the ability to respond rapidly to reports of shell disease in lobsters.”
Lastly, Colby College in Waterville, Maine, will receive USD 81,657 (EUR 73,178) to conduct an analysis of economic impacts at each point along the supply chain in Maine’s lobster industry. Project research will involve confidential surveys of Maine’s lobster dealers and processors as well as analysis of existing Maine Department of Marine Resources and Department of Labor data.
The grants are funded from revenues accrued from the sale of special Maine lobster license plates and are managed by the Maine Department of Marine Resources Research Education and Development Board.
“These projects will help sustain Maine’s iconic lobster fishery by fostering a new generation of educated and engaged fishermen, by improving our understanding of the complex marine environment, and by refining our ability to measure the impacts of the lobster industry on Maine’s economy,” Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said.
