Though the industry is thriving, there are challenges on the horizon that the lobstering community is facing, such as climate change, disease, changing regulations, global trade, and more.

Unity College has invited leaders from Maine’s lobster fishery community to campus for a seminar series focusing on these issues and more.

“The series will engage the lobster fishery community, which is so vital to the economic success of the state, helping to enable the continued success of the industry,” said Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, President of Unity College.”Many Unity College students in our Wildlife and Fisheries Management and other programs will enter into this industry when they graduate, so for them it’s beneficial to be involved in these conversations and have that real-world insight. This is great work by Dr. Susan Colvin, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Fisheries Management, to take the initiative and bring these wonderful speakers to our campus.”

“It’s exciting to bring in speakers who have this level of insight into the lobster industry, and a wealth of experience,” said Dr. Colvin. “At Unity College, we embrace experiential education, getting beyond the typical classroom setting. This subject is especially important to us since we have lobster fishermen on campus. The health of the industry is paramount to them and to the ecology of our region. Learning from those who actually work in the field is a great opportunity for all our students. We want to help them build that knowledge and foster relationships within the industry.”

The speakers for the upcoming seminar series include:

February 14 – Management, conservation measures, challenges, and DMR monitoring programs: Kathleen Reardon, lead lobster biologist for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and Maine’s representative and chair of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Science Technical Committee

March 7: Matt Wyman of Maine Marine Patrol of Vinalhaven. Matt is a Unity College graduate and was last year’s Northeast Conservation Law Enforcement Association’s Officer of the Year from Maine

All talks will be held in the Student Activities Building, Higgins Wing 212, at 2:30 p.m. For more information or to suggest additional speakers, contact Dr. Susan Colvin, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Fisheries Management, at scolvin@unity.edu.