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PORTLAND, Maine

UNE aquaculture initiatives play starring role at NACE conference

The Northeast Aquaculture Conference & Exposition (NACE) is taking place at Portland’s Holiday Inn by the Bay this week, and not surprisingly projects underway at the University of New England Marine Science Center are being featured prominently.

UNE’s new “Ocean Clusters” are a particularly hot topic of discussion at the conference, which has drawn more than 450 industry leaders from the field of commercial aquaculture.

On the first day of the conference, Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., chair of UNE’s Department of Marine Sciences and director of the UNE Marine Science Center, welcomed a group of conference-goers, who visited the Marine Science Center for a tour. The tour showcased the Ocean Clusters, which include faculty-led research labs devoted to steelhead trout, sturgeon, spiny dogfish and microalgae aquaculture, among other projects. These labs offer abundant opportunities for UNE students to participate in research projects on the cutting-edge of this rapidly-growing industry that employs more than 600 people at 180 aquaculture farms in coastal Maine.  

Visitors emerged from UNE’s stunning waterfront Marine Science Center impressed by UNE’s initiatives to connect it to Maine’s coastal communities and industries while educating the next generation of ocean leaders. 

“The guests were surprised to see the beautiful location and our outstanding facilities," said Costa-Pierce. "I heard a few comment on our rapid growth and the positive changes in marine science programs at UNE. There were also a couple of guests who spoke very highly about our students, who they either had as graduate students, or employed.”

On the conference’s second day, Costa-Pierce shared his vision for the Ocean Clusters, addressing an assembly of fellow academics and ocean entrepreneurs at the conference. Other UNE Marine Science faculty that presented included Carrie J. Byron, Ph.D., research assistant professor, and Adam St. Gelais, M.S., assistant research scientist and SEAFISH program coordinator.

Byron presented a lecture about an integrated ecological-economic modeling framework for the sustainable management of oyster farming. St. Gelais discussed UNE’s various research efforts to support aquaculture and fisheries as part of UNE’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture and Fisheries (SEAFISH) program.

Costa-Pierce will also present about eel aquaculture later in the conference, and St. Gelais will share the details of UNE’s re-circulating aquaculture system for the Kamloops variety of steelhead trout.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.