DMC to host a talk on fishing and farming of scallops in Maine

On Friday, July 7, Dana Morse will give a talk on scallops and their impact on Maine’s fishing and farming industry.

The seminar will take place in Brooke Hall at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center beginning at 10:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested at tinyurl.com/y87uxsmw.

The sea scallop is an important offshore commercial fishery that extends from Atlantic Canada to Virginia. The inshore fishery for scallops in Maine is a vital source of winter income for fishermen. Over the years, there have been many attempts to establish a scallop aquaculture industry in Maine. Through collaborative work with fishermen and scientists in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, scallops are en route to become a commercially viable option for producers.

Could sea scallops become Maine’s next big thing? Morse will discuss the scallops at the crossroads of fishing and farming in Maine. This seminar will cover the scallops’ life history and the possibilities for future product development.

Morse has been with the DMC for nearly 20 years and is an Extension Associate for the Maine Sea Grant College Program and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. His work ranges from educational programming, technology transfer and applied research with a focus on shellfish aquaculture. Morse works involves developing approaches that maximize the integration of commercial fishing and aquaculture toward the continued prosperity of Maine’s coastal communities.

This talk is part of DMC’s summer science seminar series, where eight renowned scientists in the field of marine biology will engage the public in topics ranging from the studies of the Gulf of Maine to the exploration of the deep sea. The full list of speakers is posted at dmc.umaine.edu. For a disability accommodation, please call 207.563.3146.

Contact: Aliya Uteuova, aliya.uteuova@maine.edu