Navigating the evolving ocean economy: UNE’s Barry Costa-Pierce gives presentation for Maine and the Arctic Speaker Series

Barry Costa-Pierce, Henry L. & Grace Doherty Professor of Marine Sciences, chair of the University of New England Department of Marine Sciences and director of the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center gave a presentation at the Portland Public Library describing how rapid climate change is reshaping the ocean food economy.

The talk, part of the library’s Maine and the Arctic Speaker series, drew an audience of fellow researchers, mariners and interested members of the community. They listened as Costa-Pierce demonstrated that in addition to global warming, the planet is facing a looming food shortage: By 2050, experts predict there will not be enough food to feed the human race of about 10 billion people. He explained, however, that as ice melts, it is opening up new passageways for ships to deliver goods between the northernmost regions of the world. The warming waters also mean evolving fisheries, with species traveling north to new places and at densities never before known.

The speaker series is one of several events leading up to the Senior Arctic Officials Meeting of the Arctic Council in Portland, Maine in October 2016. 

To learn more about the University of New England’s Department of Marine Sciences visit www.une.edu/cas/marine

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions