NOAA to Fund Hood College Professor’s Lobster Research

FREDERICK, Maryland—Hood College is a collaborating institution on a National Sea Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) for research on lobster larvae in Maine.

The project has received $326,556 in funding with $108,575 to Hood College to survey the distribution of lobster larvae and their zooplankton prey in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. This collaboration, led by the Atlantic Offshore Lobsterman’s Association (AOLA), will also include partnerships with the Maine Maritime Academy, the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game.

“This effort will improve our understanding of the relationship between the abundance of reproductive lobsters and larval settlement, which supports the fishery,” said Eric Annis, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, who will lead Hood’s portion of the project. “Our part will include analyzing the zooplankton and lobster larvae samples collected during the survey. We are interested in learning more about the larval stages and their food sources because there is evidence that climate change may be altering the food web of the Gulf of Maine and reducing the success of lobster larvae.”

The funding will support undergraduate student workers to assist in processing samples and a graduate student who will develop a master’s thesis using the data collected. “This is great opportunity to engage Hood students in hands-on, scientific research experience with practical application in fisheries management,” said Annis.

Hood College is an independent, liberal arts college, offering more than 25 bachelor’s degrees, four pre-professional programs, 19 master’s degrees programs, two doctorates and 10 post-baccalaureate certificates. Located in historic Frederick, near Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the I-270 technology corridor, Hood gives students access to countless internships and research opportunities.

Media Contact