The University of Maine will be a partner in a $15 million initiative to strengthen New England’s seafood industry through research, technology innovation and workforce development.
The money was awarded by the National Science Foundation through a program called NSF Seafood Engine.
For the New England region, the program is led by the Portsmouth, N.H.-based Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, a nonprofit that generates, consolidates and shares ocean data.
The New England “engine” is expected to bring together the seafood industry, technology sector, government and research institutions across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
UMaine’s role
UMaine oceanography professor Damian Brady and his team at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole will help develop, deploy and test more than a dozen water-quality sensors to support scallop, oyster and kelp aquaculture farms across Maine’s coast. The new, low-cost sensors are designed to provide temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll and acidity data in real time.
Aquaculture farms will use the information to select sites, grow and preserve products and identify warning signs of shellfish diseases and other threats. The work builds on previous efforts from Brady’s team creating a satellite data-based model that is helping oyster farmers select ideal sites for their operations.
“The ultimate challenge is Maine has 3,478 miles of tidal shoreline, and it’s almost impossible to do water quality testing along such an extensive coastline,” Brady said. “We need ways of partnering with people who are already in the water, and working together with that part of the industry to understand our water quality challenges.”
Brady’s team is partnering with Bluesonde, a water data and intelligence startup in Portland, to develop and deploy the sensors.
His team will also work with aquaculture farmers on data collection. Students will be involved in deploying and testing the sensors.
It’s expected that anyone utilizing marine resources, including fishermen, will benefit from the sensor data.
Economic impact in Maine
The NSF Seafood Engine aims to enhance the competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture, a sector that represents some 25% of the nation’s seafood value.
In Maine, commercial fisheries generated $619.1 million in 2025, marking the 14th consecutive year that commercial fishery revenue exceeded $500 million.
Blue tech
The $15 million will be awarded over two years, with the potential to grow up to $160 million over 10 years, according to a separate news release.
Overall goals for the region are to support research and development projects that bring together seafood harvesters, academic experts and tech companies aimed at building ocean intelligence through sensors deployed from fishing vessels and aquaculture farms; form a consortium of regional seafood apprenticeship programs; and provide funding to blue tech companies that have passed the R&D phase and need support to bring products to commercialization.
