Gulf of Maine Research Institute

10/10/2026

Our lobster friend is ready for the Fryeburg Fair! 🦞 Huge thanks to Springer’s Lobsters - Buxton, ME. Stop by and say hello this weekend!

10/09/2026

For many lobstermen, the idea of integrating aquaculture into their business plan can mean new gear, different boats, and a new round of permitting. Seascale, a startup in Thomaston, designed the Maine Scallop Pot™ to lower that barrier to entry. The pot hauls, sets, and stacks like a traditional lobster trap, so fishermen can incorporate sea scallops into their routine as a secondary revenue stream without modifying their boats.

This case study is one of many in the Resource Database on The Maine Aquaculturist, a site built to support prospective and established aquaculturists alike with real farm examples, an essential start guide, and a job board.

Explore Seascale’s approach, and other case studies here: https://www.themaineaquaculturist.org/resources-database/seascale-and-the-maine-scallop-pot/

10/08/2026

Your next dinner could start at the fish counter!

Head to Harbor Fish Market, a Gulf of Maine Tastemaker partner, and pick up a local favorite like Flounder, Cusk, Hake, or Po***ck. These Gulf of Maine species are delicious and versatile. Harbor Fish Market sources 49% of its seafood from the Gulf of Maine, making it a great spot to discover what’s local and in season.

Pick up something new, find a recipe, and see what ends up on your dinner table!

10/07/2026

We’re celebrating National Seafood Month by recognizing the people and partnerships working to strengthen New England’s seafood future.

The National Seafood Engine brings together partners across the region to bring new research, technology, and innovation into the seafood system, from harvest to plate, to solve industry challenges and create opportunities for growth and prosperity. The Engine also aims to increase the volume, quality, and value of regional seafood, strengthen coastal communities, and bolster regional food security.

We’re excited to be part of this work and help build a stronger, more innovative future for New England’s seafood economy.

Learn more: https://seafoodengine.org/

10/06/2026

We're just catching our breath after three jam-packed days of conversations and connections from the inaugural Maine Blue Economy Week.

Last week, startup founders, researchers, seafood businesses, harvesters and producers, investors, lenders, workforce organizations and other professionals working across Maine’s ocean economy came together to consider how Maine can strengthen its blue economy around what it already does well, from aquaculture and marine biotechnology to ocean data, resilient coastal infrastructure, and sustainable boatbuilding.

Thank you to everyone who came out! We're grateful for the energy everyone brought, and we look forward to building on it next year.

Huge shoutout to our partners who helped organize Maine Blue Economy Week! Thanks to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, the Roux Institute at Northeastern University, and the University of Maine for collaborating with us to pull this off, and for major support from the Maine State Department of Economic and Community Development and Maine Technology Institute.

10/01/2026

Maine’s blue economy is strengthened by connections among science, industry, communities, and economic development.

Thank you to the Maine State Department of Economic and Community Development for its major support of Maine Blue Economy Week and for helping bring those perspectives together.

https://www.maine.gov/decd/

10/01/2026

Today is the start of National Seafood Month!

Looking for more ways to support local seafood? From lobster and mussels to bluefin and monkfish, the Gulf of Maine has no shortage of local seafood to enjoy.

Follow along this month for ideas on what to buy, where to find it, and how you can enjoy more local seafood!

09/30/2026

"We have never been a state that waits for the future to arrive."

In today's Portland Press Herald, our Vice President for Economic Development, Rhiannon Hampson, writes on behalf of the Maine Blue Economy Week Planning Committee about how Maine's long history of adapting to change positions the state to lead in the blue economy.

The inaugural Maine Blue Economy Week event kicked off today, and is already bringing together scientists, fishermen, investors, educators, and students to consider how our coastal heritage can carry Maine into what comes next.

Read her op-ed here:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/09/30/maines-blue-economy-will-form-its-future-opinion/

09/27/2026

There’s still time to register! 🎟️ Join Maine Trust for Local News on September 30 for an Open Door conversation with our President & CEO, Glenn Prickett.

Register here:

Wednesday, September 30 – Glenn Prickett, President & CEO of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, will join us for a conversation about the evolving challenges and opportunities shaping Maine’s coastline.

09/24/2026

We're closely tracking a harmful algal bloom currently affecting Casco Bay, known as a Karenia bloom. It's having a real impact on aquaculture farms and wild harvesters, and it's a serious event for our working waterfront and ocean farming industries.

Researchers and community volunteers are watching closely as the bloom expands further north into Penobscot Bay, and we will be keeping a close eye on this and how we can help the affected industries navigate this challenge.

Our Aquaculture Program Manager Carissa Maurin explains that this bloom causes deoxygenation, which is most severe at the seafloor as the decomposing algae sinks, with the lowest oxygen levels typically occurring overnight and into early morning. This stresses shellfish, lobsters, and marine worms, and in some cases leads to mortality.

With a strong nor'easter approaching, we know many farms are sinking gear now for storm protection, and that should remain the priority. Carissa suggests that when the nor'easter passes and conditions are safe, farms should float or raise their gear again as soon as possible to minimize deoxygenation stress on the animals. Another risk management tactic is to reduce the density of your stocks and increase aeration in upwellers. Wild harvesters should also avoid harvesting during the bloom to reduce added stress on organisms.

An important thing for people to know — this particular bloom is non-toxic and not harmful to humans. People should feel confident continuing to buy and eat local seafood.

Learn more about the bloom and how to spot it here:

Below are updates DMR has issued to Maine's shellfish industry and interested parties regarding the recent bloom of the phytoplankton Karenia Mikimotoi. Announcements are arranged chronologically with the most recent listed first.