Maine Coastlinks Search Results

Category: education and research

Goals: Our goal is to support the Gulf of Maine’s emergence as one of the world’s most vibrant marine communities. We are working to balance the stewardship and use of the region’s ocean resources, promote stakeholder involvement in sound decision-making, increase the science aspirations of successive generations of young people, and catalyze innovative and sustainable opportunities for a 21st Century marine economy.

Current Programs:

Our scientists partner with fishermen to build knowledge of commercial fish species, critical habitats, fishing gear technology, and human behaviors to enable more effective fishery management in the Gulf of Maine. Our education programs engage students with the scientific method and encourage them to learn about Maine’s fresh and saltwater ecosystems. Our community programs bring together scientists, fishermen, environmentalists, and policymakers to identify and address emerging challenges in the Gulf of Maine and its watershed. We have built a world-class marine research laboratory, which includes a digital interactive education environment. The Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, the University of Southern Maine, and the University of Maine have joined us in this facility, creating a node of collaborative marine research activity in the heart of Portland’s working waterfront. Over the next decade, we will build a marine research and education campus, which will serve as a magnet to attract a mix of for-profit, public, and non-profit marine research and development organizations to the region.

The Cohen Center for Interactive Learning serves as the platform for LabVenture!, an interactive digital marine science program with universal access state-wide for Maine’s 5th and 6th graders. Extensive marine science education content for grades K-12 is available at www.gmri.org. Integrated ecosystem research strategically focused on the Gulf of Maine; MREP (Maine Marine Resource Education Program) is a national model of professional development for 21st Century fishermen. MREP provides 3-day trainings covering two topic areas that critical to the development of strong fishing community leadership. Fish Tank, an informal discussion forum held monthly at our lab and attended by a region-wide network of diverse fishing interests; Sea State Public Lecture Series brings interested community members into our laboratory to learn about the Gulf of Maine from the people who work on the water, study it, and manage it.

Resources: see above

County: Cumberland

Region: Casco Bay