WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) announced today that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded $1,417,581 to the Maine Sea Grant College Program at the University of Maine. The funds will be used to advance the development of Maine’s coastal communities by advancing ecological stewardship in commercial salmon farming and developing new high-resolution satellite technology to strengthen Maine’s growing aquaculture industry. 

“Maine’s coast is a powerful economic engine that supports jobs and helps drive local communities,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “This natural resource is an important part of our state’s economy, and advances in aquaculture technology provide new opportunities for Maine’s coastal communities. This funding will not only boost Maine’s economy, but also promote environmental stewardship and sustainability.” 

The funding is allocated to the following two projects to be carried out by the University of Maine Sea Grant program:

• $725,365 to fund a project to improve sea lice control in the commercial cultivation of Atlantic salmon.
• $692,216 to fund the development and use of new high-resolution satellite technology that will promote productive and sustainable oyster, scallop, and mussel aquaculture. 

In past years, funding from NOAA’s Maine Sea Grant Program has had an enormous impact on Maine’s coastal economy by supporting research that has benefitted fishermen, lobstermen, and all manner of ocean-based industries along Maine’s coast. Earlier this year, Senators Collins and King joined a group of their colleagues in a letter urging the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to provide full funding for the program. Designated as a Sea Grant College, the University of Maine is one of 33 NOAA Sea Grant programs throughout the coastal and Great Lakes states. The University of Maine chapter of NOAA’s Maine Sea Grant Program focuses on sustainable use and stewardship of marine and coastal resources. Sea Grant receives funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce through the NOAA National Sea Grant Office, which focus on their mission through research, outreach, and education.