Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Changes

Ocean ecosystems are declining, with dramatic ecological changes occurring rapidly.
A common tern struggles to feed its chick a butterfish, which is too large to swallow, indicating a shift in fish populations.
Butterfish are now more abundant than the slender silver fish (herring and sand lance) that terns prefer.
Craig published a paper showing that butterfish migration, due to warming oceans, impacts tern chick survival.
Nearly 80% of butterfish delivered to chicks are not eaten.

The alewife is a source of hope in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem.
Alewives are an important protein source for various animals as they migrate from freshwater ponds to the ocean and back.
In oceans and estuaries, alewives are preyed upon by fish and birds like eagles, ospreys, and cormorants.
In streams, they become food for animals like raccoons and foxes.
In spawning ponds, they must avoid predators like freshwater bass.
Alewives had almost disappeared due to dams blocking their migration.
Dam removal in key rivers like the Penobscot and Presumpscot has helped revive the alewife population.
Millions of alewives now migrate every spring.
The author photographed alewives resting at the base of a waterfall in Mill Brook Preserve, a tributary of the Presumpscot River, surrounded by thousands of fish.

Encountered bioluminescent lion's mane jellyfish and filamentous nudibranchs (sea slugs).

Sea smoke forms over the ocean near Whaleback lighthouse at the mouth of the Piscataqua River in Kittery.
It occurs when cold air moves over warmer water, mixing with a shallow layer of warmer air.
As the warmer air cools, excess vapor condenses, creating the fog.

Lobsters fight over burrows near the Isles of Shoals due to overcrowding.
Lobster populations are booming, but rocky shelters are becoming overcrowded, increasing competition.
Win Watson, a marine biologist, studies how changing pH levels may endanger lobsters' ability to smell.
Impaired sense of smell can hinder their ability to find food, detect predators, and sense pheromones during mating.
Female lobsters prefer colder temperatures, while males are fine in warmer water, causing mates to drift apart.

Watson has published dozens of scientific papers about lobster biology.
His research group used ultrasonic tracking, underwater video, and acoustic monitoring to study lobster movement and communication.

Changes in fish populations in the Gulf of Maine directly impact seabirds.
Tern parents typically hunt slender, silver fish like hake or herring for their chicks.

North Atlantic right whales, among the most endangered whales, feed on copepods.
Rising water temperatures cause copepods to become leaner, threatening whales and larval lobsters.

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world's oceans.
Locals are aware of the rapid warming of the Gulf of Maine.
Jocelyne Coombs and her father trap lobsters near Orrs Island, Maine, and she plans to continue the family tradition.
Biological models predict lobsters may become scarcer as waters warm.
Andrew Pershing's 2015 paper highlighted the rapid warming of the Gulf of Maine.
The author contacted scientists and experts to accurately represent climate change's impact on the region.
Original plan to revisit spectacular locations like Eastport, Maine, revealed a ghost town due to warmer waters and disappearance of marine life.
Exotic creatures once carpeting the ocean floor were gone, replaced by mud.
Pershing's report, "Slow Adaptation in the Face of Rapid Warming Leads to Collapse of the Gulf of Maine Cod Fishery," shows how these waters have continued warming at an alarming rate.

Atlantic cod populations are at 1% of colonial levels, illustrating severe declines over a couple hundred years.
The author has witnessed the weakening of the ecosystem in the past four decades.
Gulf of Maine is warming three times as fast as other ocean waters due to melting freshwater glaciers and altered currents.
The Gulf Stream's warmth is spiraling toward the coast due to less saline and less dense water from the north.

The Gulf of Maine resembles a deep tub inundated by cold Arctic waters.
Melting freshwater glaciers and climate change effects are altering long-established currents.