The Gulf of Maine

Gulf of Maine water systems

The Gulf of Maine and Changing Water Chemistry

During our time in Maine and the surrounding weeks, we spoke with two researchers looking into Maine's changing ocean chemistry: Nina Whitney and Diana Thatcher. We learned that ocean chemistry is a deeply complicated issue that requires knowledge of chemical changes over a long time scale. While global climate change impacts temperatures all over the globe, the Gulf of Maine has been warming at a rate significantly higher than average. The oceans are a major driving force for climate regulation, and as ocean temperatures continue to rise, fluctuations in our climate will only become more severe. Both Whitney and Thatcher are conducting research into the impact these changes might have on the organisms living in Maine’s waters today and in the future.

In order to understand what is happening in the Gulf of Maine, we first need to better understand what is happening broadly across the oceans. The ocean currents move in a specific cycle depending on water density, and temperature changes play a key role in this movement. In many cases, these water currents are what enable the oceans to regulate the climates of the continents they interact with. The two most important ocean streams impacting the Gulf of Maine are the Gulf Stream, a strong northward-flowing warm stream originating in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Labrador Current, a southward-flowing cold stream originating in the North Atlantic (Seidov).

The Gulf of Maine stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia and is an important intersection for the cold water of the Labrador and the warm water of the Gulf Stream. According to recent analyses of ocean temperature changes, the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 96.2% of all other oceans, which makes it an incredibly important location to study (National Centers for Environmental Information). The marine ecosystems have already experienced many impacts as a result of this significant warming. For example, many species native to the Gulf of Maine have begun moving further north to stay within cooler water. At the same time, warm water organisms that are not native are also moving north and settling in the Gulf of Maine, which changes the predator-prey relationships within the Gulf (Snyder). Each year there are reports of changes in the sea life in the Gulf of Maine such as increased sightings of the more southern Blue Crabs and Smooth Hammerhead Sharks (Mills).

For the population of Maine, these ocean temperature changes will have more of an impact than just altering the local climate. It means that the marine economy and local food sources that are historically present in the area will change. This may lead to collapses in certain markets, as was seen in the lobster industry during the summers of 2016 and 2021, and the rise of other aquaculture industries. The concept of water security comes into play here because Maine relies so heavily on its water sources for economic stability. When those sources change, the impacts are felt deeply by the local communities.

Changes in the Lobster Industry

Maine’s lobster industry plays a major role within Maine’s culture and identity. As a matter of fact, the Maine state seal showcases a seaman. Lobster alone makes up more than $1 billion of Maine’s economy (Trotter). We met with Zach Whitener at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), who testified to his lived experience growing up on Maine’s Casco Bay within a family of lobstermen. While the lobstermen community is often portrayed as a monolithic group by the media, we learned that the community is in fact very diverse in terms of background and outlook.

Despite Maine relying heavily on lobstering, there has been a steady decline in the number of lobstermen as the economy changes. We spoke with Dan Devereaux, the Coastal Resource Manager for Brunswick and founder of Mere Point Oyster Company, who has seen changes in Maine’s lobster culture firsthand. He told us that in the last few decades, there have been more lobstermen retiring than those entering the industry. Devereaux spoke to us about how there has been a housing boom along the coast where lobstermen traditionally live, which is gentrifying these areas and reducing the proportion of lobstermen. Additionally, with real estate becoming prohibitively expensive, retired lobstermen are moving away from the coasts. Whitener also confirmed this trend, sharing that some traditional lobstering islands, such as Great Diamond Island and Peaks Island, now only have a few lobstermen left. This means that the generational, local knowledge these lobstermen had on the dynamics of the lobster harvest in their local area will soon be lost forever. Once that local knowledge is lost it is difficult to bring it back or maintain and monitor the lobster populations in the area.

Maine lobster

Boat dock in Gulf of Maine

In addition to lobstermen leaving the industry, more and more lobstermen find that they need other alternative jobs to supplement insufficient harvests (Greene). This is a major cultural shift from what Maine’s lobster industry used to be. As lobster populations decline, the cost of lobster has increased, with the high prices also being linked to steep prices for fuel and boat repairs.

Shoreline in Brunswick, ME

"Our nearshore lobstermen are gone...there's just gone now because the lobsters don't crawl up here because its four degrees warmer than it was three decades ago and lobsters like to stay in cool water" - Dan Devereaux

Changes in the Clamming Industry

Clamming is another important industry that is being impacted by changes in water chemistry as well as demographic changes along the coast. Brunswick, Maine is one of the top locations for shellfish production in the state partially because the area off the coast has been protected since the 1970s. In the 70s and 80s there were projects in place to help homeowners develop stormwater management systems and care for and the shellfish colonies along the shores of their property (Bohlen). Since then however, gentrification along the coastlines has had some severe negative impacts. There once was a time that locals had “handshake” agreements with waterfront property owners so that clam diggers could use their land to harvest shellfish. Now, homeowners are stricter with public access to their shorelines which makes it very difficult to protect habitats as well as monitor shellfish (Genter). Devereaux made some recommendations for what the government can do, one of them being to purchase and make public shorefront land so that monitoring and shellfish harvesting can continue.

Maine clam

Shellfish are important in maintaining clean water resources because of their ability to filter water quickly, making shellfish monitoring programs valuable. There is constant surveying done on shellfish colonies so that overharvested areas can be closed and allowed to replenish. The regeneration efforts include stocking the area with various species as well as trying to bring spat (sediment that shellfish larvae attach to) into the area from the ocean to increase the population sizes. In addition to providing an important environmental service, shellfish support Maine's economy to the tune of about $16 million a year, making it the state's third most valuable resource (Department of Marine Resources).

Changes in Lobster and Clam Populations and Scientific Communication

It is important to note that during each interview we had, be it with scientists, lawyers, or nonprofit employees, each interviewee emphasized how necessary it is for their job that they build relationships with seamen in Maine. Despite these goals, the gap between parties still exists and, in some instances, appears to be growing due to misinformation.

Scientists like Whitney and Thatcher and those at GMRI are paying close attention but sometimes missing information regarding marine populations on the ground, which causes issues with seamen. Heather Kenyon, a Science and Advocacy Associate for the Friends of Casco Bay nonprofit, stressed the importance of data in protecting Maine's water resources. She described her position as a science translator because she helps use data to inform policy and legislation efforts as well as improve public education. Seamen involvement here is critical because they are seeing the changes firsthand. Even if they don't have all of the scientific language to speak about the population variations they are seeing, they have the observational data which draws scientific data attention in the first place.

Often, science for the sake of science is not always good because it has the potential to cause harm. At GMRI, we learned about a negative example involving data and climate modeling in relation to Maine lobster populations. In 2012, GMRI models predicted a temperature spike that would lead to early molting of lobster. This had far-reaching impacts on the lobster industry and economy because information about the abnormally high supply of lobsters early in the season led to price decreases. GMRI researchers wanted to prepare seamen and other stakeholders with the warning that this early molting was to come (GMRI Employees). However, the announcement came just a day before an international seafood fair and ended up causing an economic crash within the lobster industry (DiColo and Friedman). This event deeply weakened the relationship between scientists and seamen which is only just starting to mend, 11 years later. Now, GMRI takes more care in the timing of their yearly announcements, making sure it comes in advance of molting but not too close to large industry events. This higher level of care was evident during a temperature spike in 2018 in which GMRI was cautious to warn lobstermen of early molting without sending stakeholders into a panic, preventing an economic collapse within the industry.

A positive relationship between scientists and seamen has been essential to joint efforts in monitoring different fish populations. A modeling expert at GRMI shared that scientists have been able to track fish and lobster populations traveling up the Gulf Stream because of the help of seamen all along the East Coast. With seamen permission, tracking devices can be attached to fishing boats and allow researchers to continuously collect data throughout the seasons which has helped produce better models for tracking fish populations over time.

Summary

Climate change is contributing to changing ocean current strength which has caused the Gulf of Maine to warm at a much faster rate than the oceanic average. The effects of this warming has already begun to be realized as the species in the gulf are changing as species migrate north to stay within colder water. Because Maine is so economically and socially dependent on aquaculture industries, this is a source of concern for many. While the relationship between seamen and scientist has not been very positive in the past, improving the relationship will be critical in the coming years as climate change effects become more severe.

Misconceptions across the stakeholders paints all parties in a negative light depending on who you speak to. In reality, everyone is fighting for the same thing: protecting water resources in Maine and preparing for the changes coming due to climate change and ocean chemistry changes. If seamen in Maine and scientists can come together to fight to protect these valuable resources, legislative protection and new policy success can be achieved. But if these parties continue to go head to head, the fight to protect these resources may be a losing battle.

References

Bohlen, Curtis. "Casco Bay Plan 2016-2021." Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, 2016, https://www.cascobayestuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/casco_bay_plan_2016_2021.pdf.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "Oyster Fact Sheet." Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 2023, https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/more-than-just-the-bay/chesapeake-wildlife/eastern-oysters/oyster-fact-sheet.html.

Department of Marine Resources. "2022 Commercial Fisheries Value Returns to Levels More in Line with Recent Years." Department of Marine Resources, 3 March 2023, https://www.maine.gov/dmr/news/fri-03032023-1200-2022-commercial-fisheries-value-returns-levels-more-line-recent-years.

Devereaux, Dan. Personal Interview. 14 March 2023.

Dicolo, Jerry and Friedmand, NiColo. "Lobster Glut Slams Prices." The Wall Street Journal, 16 July 2012, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304388004577529080951019546.

Genter, Ethan. "Maine's real estate boom is making it harder for clammers to get to mudflats." Bangor Daily News, 20 July 2022, https://wgme.com/news/local/maines-real-estate-boom-is-making-it-harder-for-clammers-to-get-to-mudflats.

GMRI Employees. Personal Interview. 15 March 2023.

Greene, Madeline. "Diversifying Maine's coastal economy: A transition from lobster fishing to kelp aquaculture." The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability, 19 March 2020, https://umaine.edu/spire/2020/03/19/kelp/.

Kenyon, Heather. Personal Interview. 17 March 2023.

Marten, Ben. "Gentrification and Maine's Fishing Communities." Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, 1 July 2021, https://www.mainecoastfishermen.org/post/gentrification-and-maine-s-fishing-communities.

Mills, Katherine, et al. “Fisheries Management in a Changing Climate: Lessons From the 2012 Ocean Heat Wave in the Northwest Atlantic.” Oceanography, vol. 26, no. 2, 2013. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2013.27.

National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Study Finds Fast Warming in the Gulf of Maine Region. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/study-finds-fast-warming-gulf-maine-region. Accessed 17 Feb. 2023.

Seidov, Dan, et al. "Recent warming and decadal variability of Gulf of Maine and Slope Water." Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 66, no. 9, 27 July 2021, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11892.

Snyder, Pam Bechtold. "New research of Gulf of Maine's rapidly warming waters sounds alarm on climate change for marine animals, humans." New England Aquarium, 2023, https://www.neaq.org/about-us/news-media/press-kit/press-releases/new-research-on-gulf-of-maines-rapidly-warming-waters-sounds-alarm-on-climate-change-for-marine-animals-humans/#:~:text=More%20southern%20species%E2%80%94such%20as,be%20more%20prevalent%20by%202050..

Thatcher, Diana. Personal Interview. 15 March 2023.

Trotter, Ben. "Study: Lobster supply chain contributes $1B to Maine each year." Bangor Daily News, 2 March 2018, https://www.bangordailynews.com/2018/03/02/news/lobster-supply-chain-contributes-1b-to-maine-economy-each-year-study-finds/.

Whitener, Zach. Personal Interview. 15 March 2023.

Whitney, Nina. Personal Interview. 13 March 2023.

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