A Field Season in Photos

Perspectives | Dec 6, 2022

by Don Perkins

Former CEO & Founder

Explore our 2022 Field Season with a selection of our favorite photos from throughout the year. Whether tagging blue sharks offshore, seining the beaches of Casco Bay, or exploring the intertidal, our team spends each field season expanding our understanding of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and sharing that information with those who need it the most.

a seine net gathered and floating in the water

Casco Bay Aquatic Systems Survey (CBASS) Sampling

Each summer, our scientists take to the field to gather data for a long-term study of Casco Bay.

Samantha Bengs measures temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in Casco Bay
Samantha Bengs measures temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in Casco Bay
Measuring the length of a fish collected in a seining net
Measuring the length of a fish collected in a seining net
Sampling inshore waters using a beach seine
Sampling inshore waters using a beach seine
Alewives making their way up a small tributary of the Presumpscot River as they head toward spawning grounds
Alewives making their way up a small tributary of the Presumpscot River as they head toward spawning grounds

Exploring Offshore

Animal encounters at sea aboard our research vessel.

White-sided dolphins, common offshore in the Gulf of Maine
White-sided dolphins, common offshore in the Gulf of Maine
Basking shark, common in the Gulf of Maine
Basking shark, common in the Gulf of Maine
Loggerhead sea turtle on Platts Bank
Loggerhead sea turtle on Platts Bank

Investigating the Intertidal

Commercial harvesting, research, and education taking place in Maine mudflats.

Soft-shell clammer harvesting the mudflats of Midcoast Maine
Soft-shell clammer harvesting the mudflats of Midcoast Maine
A clam digger washes freshly-dug clams in a crate
Maine science educators identify and measure flora and fauna within a quadrat during a professional development workshop
Maine science educators identify and measure flora and fauna within a quadrat during a professional development workshop
Students from East End Community School identify an invasive European green crab
Students from East End Community School identify an invasive European green crab
Portland Pier, Portland, ME, inundated with water during a King Tide event in July of 2022
Portland Pier, Portland, ME, inundated with water during a King Tide event in July of 2022

Tagging Blue Sharks with Dr. Walt Golet

Dr. Golet's Pelagic Fisheries Lab tags sharks and tunas in the Gulf of Maine to better understand these pelagic species.

blue shark swimming off the bow of a research vessel
Dr. Golet instructs a helper to tag a blue shark that has been brought alongside the vessel
a closeup of a blue shark's face

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