Darling Marine Center welcomes Boothbay Sea and Science Center

Thu, 09/07/2017 - 4:00pm

Students at the Boothbay Sea and Science Center capped off their summer program with a day-long visit to  the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center.

Under the leadership of Lili Pugh, DMC’s K-12 education coordinator, nearly 30 Boothbay campers, ages 5-13, learned about shellfish aquaculture.

“To understand aquaculture, one must know the science,” notes Pugh.  “Understanding water quality, plankton abundance, the life cycle of shellfish, and the estuarine habitat are all very important no matter whether you are an oyster grower, a researcher, or enthusiastic consumer of the half-shell delicacies.” 

BSSC campers learned how to assess water quality by measuring temperature, salinity, and turbidity from the DMC dock in Lowes Cove. They also collected  plankton and toured the shellfish hatchery. While hiking the DMC’s nature trails, campers learned about the land-sea connections that shape the Damariscotta River watershed.

This program was supported Edward A. Myers Marine Conservation Fund and University of Maine. Conservation Fund awards to the DMC and other area organizations have enabled hundreds of students to learn more about the coastal ocean, aquaculture, and marine science in the last decade. All proceeds from the Pemaquid Oyster Festival - to be held this year on September 24 in Damariscotta - benefit the conservation fund.

Located in Walpole, the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center is an active center of marine research, education, and community engagement. We study coastal and marine ecosystems, as well as the human communities that are a part of them, in Maine and around the world. For more information visit the DMC website at dmc.umaine.edu.