Maine Science Center To Study Global Warming Impact On Cod, Lobster

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Science Foundation is awarding nearly $800,000 to an ocean science center in Maine that studies the warming of the sea and its impact on fisheries.

The foundation is giving the money to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute for work the center is doing on the impact of climate change on the growth and population patterns of cod and lobster.

Cod and lobster were once both major fisheries in Maine, but their productivity has gone in opposite directions in recent years. The cod fishery collapsed, but the lobster catch grew at a record pace this decade.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King say the money helps the institute "better understand and mitigate the impacts of changing ocean conditions on our communities, marine ecosystems, and economy."