Blue Hill Bay Monitoring Program

In the summer of 1999, the Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI) initiated coastal monitoring activities in Blue Hill Bay in collaboration with the University of Maine, the Department of Marine Resources, and the Maine State Planning Office. Phytoplankton Study: MERI is conducting a study of phytoplankton species in Blue Hill Bay. Working with the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, MERI staff collect and analyze samples from plankton tows, looking for the following toxic plankton: Alexandrium spp., Dinophysis spp., Pseudo-Nitzschia spp., and Prorocentrum spp.. We will also record samples of non-toxic plankton including: Navicula sp., Pleurosigma sp., and Nitzschia sp. Blue Hill Bay Stream Study: MERI has begun a water quality study in collaboration with the Clean Water / Partners in Monitoring Program, a joint program with the State Planning Office and Department of Marine Resources. We are monitoring a small stream entering Herrick Bay, located in southern Blue Hill Bay. This stream is believed to be the source of bacterial contamination of the local shellfish bed that has been closed since 1998. Type: Bay