Geography and Environmental Planning

Eve Fischer, a University of Maine at Farmington student from Portland and a Maine Policy Scholar, recently presented her research study on the resurgence of the invasive European green crab in the Gulf of Maine to the Maine State Legislature. 

In her presentation to the Maine State Legislature Marine Resources Committee, she discussed the importance of the Gulf of Maine, how it has supported a long tradition in the seafood industry, the negative impact the invasive green crab is having, and some potential policy solutions Maine could use to control

Her research included findings from her summer internship with Manomet, a non-profit organization that works across North and South America to create a more sustainable world. During that study, she examined the complex issue of invasive species, the serious threat they pose to Maine’s valuable marine industries and species, and policies elsewhere that have been developed to manage them.

Fischer learned the crabs could be processed for lump crab meat and soft-shell crabs, which could provide a valuable resource to Maine restaurants. She shared with legislators that the culinary market has the greatest potential value and may be a significant future market for the invasive green crab problem.

“Eve’s work on green crabs is a perfect example of how UMF supports professional development in multiple ways,” said UMF Assistant Professor of Geography and Environmental Planning Jesse Minor. “Her summer internship, the Maine Policy Scholarship, serving as a teaching assistant for my Honors First-Year Fusion class, and a semester-long independent study all combined to support her investigations into a real-world environmental problem that is causing real harm to Maine’s marine ecosystems.”