Senate appropriations committee provides lobster research funding U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has secured funding for several efforts related to the lobster fishery. $30 million is allocated to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for Right Whale-related research and monitoring. Additionally, language in the bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to collaborate with Canada on developing risk...

A team of researchers led by satellite oceanographer Rebekah Shunmugapandi from the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has devised a way to use satellite imagery to detect the presence of a tiny copepod vital to the survival of North Atlantic right whales. NASA’s Aqua satellite detected massive clouds of the tiny red plankton called Calanus finmarchicus in the Gulf of Maine. It is the first time these microscopic crustaceans, packed with energy-rich fat, have been tracked from space. Until...

Colby College completed the purchase of several properties in Port Clyde in November for the college’s new Center for Resilience and Economic Impact. The interdisciplinary research center, which aims to help Maine communities find innovative ways to adapt to climate change, will serve as a home for educational opportunities, outreach, and community building. The transaction includes the purchase of the Seaside Inn, The Barn, the Squid Ink building, and the site of the Port Clyde General...