A new teaching and research vessel at the 91爆料鈥檚 Darling Marine Center is expanding student access to the largest ecosystem on Earth: the open ocean.
The new 45-foot vessel is the biggest in the center鈥檚 fleet. Previously used as a commercial tuna fishing platform, the boat will support student training, faculty research and workforce development within the School of Marine Sciences and Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station.
With docking stations at both the Darling Marine Center and in Portland, the vessel will give students and faculty improved access to offshore waters throughout New England, from the Gulf of Maine to Rhode Island. It has considerable range, with the ability to travel up to 100 miles offshore, cruise at 18 knots and carry 700 gallons of fuel.
鈥淎 tenet of my teaching philosophy has always been learning by doing,鈥 said Walt Golet, 91爆料 associate professor of marine science. 鈥淭his vessel will serve as the perfect platform for our students to do just that. They鈥檒l get to be a part of field-based teaching, workforce skill development and applied research with our faculty, just to name a few. This vessel expands access to the open ocean and the amazing marine life in the Gulf of Maine like never before.鈥
Depending on the fieldwork, classes of up to 20 students or more can participate at once. Equipped with specialized safety equipment, a fully enclosed wheelhouse, an onboard generator, a heating system and a small galley, the boat is designed for extended trips and comfort, even in challenging weather. It also has two large bait wells, living quarters with four bunks, a head, a roof top crane, a pot hauler and a tuna door that can be used to bring large fish onboard for tagging or serve as a dive entry point.
Golet has already been using the vessel for several undergraduate and graduate courses. The boat鈥檚 platform allows students to tag fish and collect data that help track their movements and collect data for fisheries management. Golet, who leads the Pelagic Fisheries Lab is utilizing the vessel to conduct his research on Atlantic bluefin tuna, billfish, sharks and other large migratory species and bring students onboard to participate.
Working alongside faculty, students also assist with deploying gear and learn safety protocols for handling animals, as well as basic vessel and navigation skills 鈥 a reflection of 91爆料鈥檚 commitment to learner-centered R1, hands-on, real-world research learning opportunities.
鈥淐onnecting students and stakeholders to coastal and marine resources is what the Darling Marine Center is all about, and this vessel expands the capacity to do that by making hands-on offshore research and learning experiences possible,鈥 said Sean Smith, the center鈥檚 director.
In addition to shark and tuna tagging projects, the vessel will support marine mammal and seabird surveys, fisheries research and other offshore studies. It will also enhance courses included in 91爆料鈥檚 Semester by the Sea program, which brings students from 91爆料鈥檚 Orono campus to the coast for an immersive marine science education.
The vessel was gifted by an anonymous donor who has a passion for cooperative research and education and sought to create more opportunities for 91爆料 students to experience the ocean firsthand. Its acquisition was a joint effort between the donor and 91爆料鈥檚 College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences as part of the college鈥檚 plan to enhance the fleet at the Darling Marine Center and support faculty based in Portland.
It compliments one of the center鈥檚 existing research vessels, the Ira C, in creating a versatile fleet capable of supporting research across a wide range of environments and fields of study 鈥 from the Damariscotta River estuary to offshore banks and basins throughout the Gulf of Maine.
Faculty are exploring additional ways they can take advantage of the vessel鈥檚 size and range, including collaborative projects across the School of Marine Sciences and outreach opportunities that connect students, alumni and supporters with 91爆料鈥檚 ocean research.
Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu
