Portland Public Library continues Science Café Series in July and August with “Bottom trawling in the Gulf of Maine: the good, the bad, and the not so true” and “The State of the Birds with Maine Audubon”

Thursdays, July 16th and August 20th - 12:00-1:00pm

Portland, Maine - Portland Public Library and Cornerstones of Science continue their series of monthly Science Cafés at Portland Public Library. The Science Café format is an informal approach to discussing and understanding scientific research and its relevance to people in their everyday lives. Science café events are held in Portland Public Library’s open, glass-walled atrium that faces Monument Square in Portland during the lunch hour and will offer light refreshments in an informal, casual atmosphere. Students, professionals, and anyone interested in getting the inside look at what scientists are doing – and why – are invited to attend. The events are free and open to the public.

Thursday, July 16th: Bottom trawling in the Gulf of Maine: the good, the bad, and the not so true
The popular media in the US and elsewhere generally has little good to say about bottom trawling. Many media reports focus largely on the environmental impacts of trawling and ignore the importance of this fishing method as a source of employment, commerce, and healthy and nutritious food. Many of these reports are also sprinkled with emotionally charged and colorful language to describe trawling impacts, such as, “vacuuming of the seabed”, or “clear felling of corals”. This interactive discussion will provide the audience an opportunity to get closer to the truth about bottom trawling by exploring the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ of this fishing method. It will also explore why perceptions about the impact of trawling are often far from reality and how these perceptions can negatively influence remedial efforts by fishermen and others.

Steve is an Australian scientist who began his career over 30 years ago as a fisherman in Australia, the Middle East, and S. E. Asia, before moving into research. Prior to joining GMRI, Steve worked as an academic and researchers at the Australian Maritime College, during which time he played a key role in the development of selective fishing gears in a variety of fisheries in Australia and other countries. Steve joined GMRI in January 2007 to lead efforts to develop environmentally-friendly fishing gear, working collaboratively with fishermen and other stakeholders both in the US and internationally.

Thursday, August 20th: The State of the Birds with Maine Audubon
This presentation will cover how Maine's bird populations have changed over the last few decades and also look at the past year and what finer scale changes we have observed. Learn about how climate change and land management has affected our avian friends, and what we can do to ensure these creatures will have a healthy and sustainable future in Maine.