RESEARCH
On-Farm Data Monitoring
The 2024 Maine Aquaculture Research, Development and Education Survey highlighted an emerging need for aquaculture farmers; hyper local environmental data. In response, MAIC, in collaboration with the University of Maine and supported by the Nature Conservancy, have launched a pilot project getting monitoring systems on farms in Midcoast and Downeast Maine. Sixteen temperature and light sensors, as well as three conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors have been deployed on farms along the coast. The goal of the project is to test out different systems and learn more about what farmers need to make data-driven decisions.
Project Partners
Making sense of sensors: Developing a near-shore data monitoring network on aquaculture farms
In Progress
Summary: This project will (1) identify the most efficient and cost-effective environmental monitoring system for aquaculture farms that allows for ease of use and reliable data collection , and (2) scale the deployment of environmental sensors across the state on to at least 10 more aquaculture farms in Maine.
Project Team: Emily Whitmore, Anne Langston Noll, Tom Kiffney, Chris Davis
Funder: The Nature Conservancy
PROJECT STATUS
Phase I deployment
Farmer input
Phase II deployment
Final report
PROJECT OUTPUTS
Building community-driven, accessible estuarine water quality monitoring to support climate adaptation in Maine
In Progress
Summary: This project will deploy five real-time water quality monitoring buoys across Maine estuaries in partnership with aquaculture farms, a conservation group, and a tribal community, collecting hourly data on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, and turbidity from May through September 2026. All data will be publicly accessible through an interactive dashboard, giving coastal communities the timely, site-specific information they need to respond to climate-driven changes in their waters.
Project Team: Kate Liberti, Tom Kiffney, Emily Whitmore, Tom Shyka, Tim Dyson
Funder: Maine Coastal & Marine Climate Fund
PROJECT STATUS
Buoy deployment
Field monitoring
Partner interviews
Dashboard launch
Workshop & report