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Green crabs have invaded, and if you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em
This article was written by Christine Burns Rudalevige and originally published by the Portland Press Herald July 24, 2017. Staff photo by Derek Davis. See the original article here. When I started writing about sustainable seafood five years ago, my biggest fear was working on a story that involved a seaworthy vessel in a storm. Under those conditions, my not so seaworthy constitution would be exposed. I’d imagined more heaving of my lunch than honing of my reporting skills. That assignment has yet to materialize. But my squeamish stomach made an appearance two weeks ago in the face of a locally harvested, deep-fried, soft-shell green crab at Salt Pine Social in Bath. I’d chosen the smallest one on the plate. It was about...
Manomet expands focus on fisheries in the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine
Manomet is pleased to announce the addition of Marissa McMahan as a Senior Fisheries Scientist. McMahan’s role will be to grow an applied fisheries science program in a way that helps fishermen adapt to the changing, warming Gulf of Maine. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans and the impact on New England’s fisheries economy is increasing. With McMahan on staff, Manomet will now be able to focus additional resources on restoring and growing the soft-shell clam industry in Maine; determining the viability of a soft-shell green crab industry in New England and examining the implications of the expansion of black sea bass, a commercially important species that has been moving north in response...
John Hagan: “From Soft-Shell Clams to Soft-Shell Crabs: Two Practical Solutions for Adapting to a Warming Gulf of Maine”
Originally posted at community.bowdoin.edu on February 16, 2017. Written by Rebecca Goldfine. Bowdoin College hosted two speakers this week who are exploring ways that Mainers who earn their livelihoods from the sea might respond to a warming ocean and changing marine ecosystem. The Gulf of Maine is heating up faster than 99 percent of the world’s oceans, and scientists foresee a time when historically lucrative fisheries—like lobstering and clamming—are gone, replaced with fish species unfamiliar to us. On Tuesday evening, field ecologist John Hagan spoke about his project to develop soft-shell clam farming in Maine. He was joined by Jonathan Taggart of Georgetown, Maine, who described his efforts to turn the invasive and problematic green crab into a sought-after food. (Originally invited speaker Marissa McMahan was not able...
Development Update – Grants and Funding Awarded for FY 2017, 1st Quarter
Manomet had a very successful first quarter with regard to grant awards for programs. In total, we received over $985,000 through grants for this quarter alone! Foundation and government grants are vital to supporting both Manomet’s operations and programs and make it possible for all of our work that helps sustain our world. Sustainable Economies Jane’s Trust Foundation: Thanks to a $60,000 grant from the Jane’s Trust Foundation, the Grocery Stewardship Certification project will be delivered to independent grocers in New Hampshire. This project will evaluate the environmental impacts of more than 200 common practices at 20 grocery stores in NH. Manomet is partnering with the NH Grocers Association (NHGA) and NH Small Business Development Center (SBDC). In...
Students get muddy for science
Creating a sustainable food system is one of Manomet’s key goals and our Clam Farm Project’s work to restore the soft-shell clam fishery in Maine will help to make that goal a reality. Funded by a $288,000 grant from NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy program, Manomet’s project helps coastal towns in Maine learn about soft-shell clam farming and will launch five new farms in Maine. Manomet and our partners have been busy this fall starting a new clam farm and getting students out to the Heal Eddy clam flat for some muddy (and educational) fun! Soft-shell clams are the second most valuable fishery in Maine—valued at about $18 million in 2014. Unfortunately, soft-shell clam landings in many coastal communities have declined in recent...
Brunswick High students study clam aquaculture at Heal Eddy
This article was written by Ben Goodridge and originally published by The Times Record on October 26, 2016. See the original article here. A stiff salt breeze blew in off the water last week as Brunswick High School students trudged across the Georgetown mudflats, mud pulling at their boots as the tide crept in. Until high tide shrouded the flats in salt water, the teens spent the morning digging clams from mesh nets and investigating green crab traps at Heal Eddy, Maine’s first soft shell clam farm. Created by local nonprofit Manomet in conjunction with landowner John A. Holt, Heal Eddy Clam Farm — along with additional farms in Brunswick and Chebeague Island — encourages kids of all ages to...
The State of Maine’s Fisheries
Earlier this month fishermen, scientists, managers and policymakers gathered in Rockland, Maine, for the Fishermen’s Forum. The three-day event brings stakeholders together every year to discuss issues that affect Maine’s fisheries and the communities that depend on them. “Healthy fisheries require functioning ecosystems and local stewardship,“ noted Anne Hayden, who coordinates the Downeast Fisheries Partnership. “The Fishermen’s Forum allows for active discussion regarding strategies for achieving sustainable harvests in the face of increasing demand for seafood and for adapting to the reality of climate impacts already being felt up and down the coast.” This year, climate change was a prevailing theme. Island Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, Nature Conservancy and the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association kicked-off the event with a...
Maine Soft-shell Clam Aquaculture Project
Maine’s $18M soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria) industry is in trouble. The Gulf of Maine has been warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans. Warmer waters have allowed populations of the invasive European green crab to increase along Maine’s coast and decimate the soft-shell clam resource in some towns. Because the crabs prey on younger clams, once the commercial-size clams are harvested, there are no juveniles to replace them. The fishery collapses. Shellfish harvesters are looking for a solution to keep clamming a viable option for future generations of Mainers. WHAT WE DO To address this growing concern Manomet partnered with clammer Chris Warner in 2012 to develop Maine’s first commercial soft-shell farm off the coast of...
Manomet lands $288,000 NOAA grant for clam farming work
This article was published by the Island Institute on September 29, 2015. See the article here. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Manomet a two-year, $288,000 grant to help Maine towns set up softshell clam farms. The grant comes from the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants Program, which funds projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable. Maine’s $18 million (in 2013) softshell clam (Mya arenaria) industry is the state’s third most valuable fishery, after lobster and elvers (glass eels). Softshell clam harvesting has been a mainstay of coastal communities for centuries, but with the warming waters in the Gulf of Maine in...
NOAA Awards Manomet $288,000 Grant to Help Maine Coastal Towns Pioneer Softshell Clam Farming
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Manomet a two-year, $288,000 grant to help Maine towns set up softshell clam farms. The grant comes from the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants Program, which funds projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable. Maine’s $18M (2013) softshell clam (Mya arenaria) industry is the state’s third most valuable fishery, after lobster and elvers (glass eels). Softshell clam harvesting has been a mainstay of coastal communities for centuries, but with the warming waters in the Gulf of Maine in recent years, the invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is decimating clam...