BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine — Maine's Department of Marine Resources and a University of Maine scientist have evaluated how well the state's marine monitoring programs capture the effects of climate change in the Gulf of Maine. Their study recommends expanding ocean temperature monitoring and tracking predators and emerging species, the department said Thursday.

The study was conducted with Michelle Staudinger, an associate professor in UMaine's School of Marine Sciences, and was published in npj Ocean Sustainability, an international peer-reviewed journal. The department said the work responded to recommendations in Maine Won't Wait, the climate action plan produced by the Maine Climate Council.

Researchers reviewed eight department survey programs. They include the Maine and New Hampshire inshore trawl survey, the Atlantic sea scallop dredge survey, the green sea urchin dive survey, commercial landings monitoring of Atlantic menhaden, two American lobster surveys, spring spawning observations of rainbow smelt and life history surveys of American eel. Data from the programs feed federal and regional fishery stock assessments and management decisions, the department said.

The recommendations came from interviews with the scientists who lead the surveys. They include securing funding to expand ocean temperature and other environmental monitoring, developing a program to monitor predators and emerging species, and shifting toward survey methods that characterize overall biodiversity rather than single species. The study also recommends strengthening ties with industry research partners.

"This study represents one of the first climate-focused evaluations of state-run marine resource monitoring programs," said Jesica Waller, a co-author and the department's director of biological monitoring and assessment.

Waller said that although recent studies have projected a temporary pause in warming in the Gulf of Maine, it "continues to warm faster than most of the world's oceans."

Staudinger said the study offers "a framework to help managers take an important step towards assessing existing assets and identifying where strategic investments can increase resilience and reduce risk."

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