Welcome
to Maine Sea Grant! Our mission is
to play a leadership role in marine science and education
and to promote their use in the sustainable development,
management, and stewardship of marine and coastal
resources. Our slogan is “Marine Science for Maine People” and
we encourage everyone to contact our staff
to discuss ways we can work together.
Alewife harvesting on Mill Brook, a tributary of the Eastern River/Kennebec River, in Dresden, Maine. Featuring Jeffrey Pierce, Alewife Harvesters of Maine. Click the video to play!
Feature Article
Gold Rush to Big Bust by Catherine Schmitt
In 1987, Maine lobstermen were fed up with sea urchins. The spiny burrs were filling their traps and gnawing through bait bags and generally being a nuisance. Meanwhile, the Japanese were running out of urchins, one of their favorite kinds of seafood. Our native species could fill the void, and for the next five years, urchin harvests soared, becoming the second largest fishery after lobster. The fishery was wide-open and unregulated and the sea was full of food and we were making money.
After a peak in 1993, urchin landings began what would become a steady and steep decline. We still considered sea urchins pests, and we may have disagreed on how to manage them, but we all agreed something had to be done.
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Last Updated:
Friday 05/09/2008 3:03 PM
This site uses Adobe PDF documents. you will need to download the free Acrobat Reader in order to view these documents.
Maine Sea Grant College Program · 5784 York Complex · The University of Maine · Orono ME · 04469-5784
Voice 207.581.1435 · Fax 207.581.1426 · umseagrant@maine.edu
