By Mackenzie Ciolino, Marketing Intern, Summer 2024
Mike Doherty’s skills and interests reach across science, through research, outreach, learning, and teaching. His interest in marine science began in college and grew with his time as an intern for Seacoast Science Center. Since his internship, he has furthered his passion through research and outreach efforts and maintained a connection with the Center. I sat down with Mike recently to learn more about his work and how SSC played a role in his career.
Mike’s interest in marine science began in college. He was majoring in biology, trying to decide which direction to go in such a broad field when he took a class that piqued his interest. He tells me, “While I always enjoyed visiting the ocean as a child and looking for critters, I became truly fascinated in the marine world through an undergraduate course I took on invertebrate zoology.” The class introduced the mass biodiversity in ocean ecosystems to Mike, whose interest grew as he learned more about the diet, reproduction, and lifestyle of these creatures.
Once he had chosen the direction he wanted to go, one of his classmates, who interned at SSC, recommended Mike do the same. He took his classmate’s advice and started as an intern. After that, he continued working at the Center full-time as a Visitor Program Naturalist. He has many fond memories of working here, and appreciated the “community network of staff, volunteers, visitors, fishers, and scientists that became an integral part of my career path and the variety of day-to-day work I experienced.”
Some particular highlights he shares with me include dressing up as a pirate for a history program, assisting the Marine Mammal Rescue staff with sampling seals, and collecting aquarium animals through diving and seining. Mike also got the chance to preserve a sample of seal hide, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that became a unique learning experience for him. This variety of opportunities deepened his passion for marine science, and his time at the Center led him to his current field of interest: aquaculture. As I am somewhat of a layman in the field of marine science, I ask Mike what on earth aquaculture is. He explains: “It is essentially farming but with marine and aquatic species.” Shellfish and seaweed are common species in aquaculture and are used for many purposes, including food and cosmetics.
As the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Sustainable Seafood Systems Research project Manager, Mike maintains a connection with SSC’s education and exhibit teams. Most recently, he helped to plan and interpret an updated feature for the UNH Exploration, Science, and Solutions exhibit in the Our Dynamic Gulf of Maine exhibition gallery. The station now highlights Mike’s research in multi-trophic aquaculture, The tank is teaming with lumpfish—a favorite among the staff and visitors at the Center. Mike describes them as “one of the more adorable fish in the Gulf of Maine!” Not only are they cute, but Mike explains that lumpfish hold an important role in aquaculture. They are used as “‘cleaner fish,’ meaning they remove parasites from other fish. Farming Atlantic salmon often happens in open water net pens, where parasitic sea lice cling onto salmon and create all kinds of problems. Farms have been adding lumpfish to their pens to remove sea lice, and they are very effective at it!” Though Mike has a particular interest in lumpfish, lobsters and Raspberry the turtle here at SSC are also favorites of his (Raspberry is a favorite of this author as well!).
As with any form of farming, sustainability plays a role in aquaculture. Both environmental and economic sustainability are large factors. Mike mentions how “boosting seafood production in the U.S., with a focus on community seafood, could benefit local economies and the coastal environment.” Climate change also impacts the aquaculture industry, particularly as ocean temperatures rise. Mike uses steelhead trout as an example. The fish used to be farmed in the summer; “however, summers have become too warm, leading to higher stress and incidents of disease in the fish. We now grow our steelhead over the winter, where water temperatures remain warm enough for growth, but not so hot that it impacts the health of the fish.” Blue crabs are another example, as they weren’t commonly found in New Hampshire in the past but “there is now a breeding population, and that is a big change!”
Mike’s current research also relates to sustainability and “responsible aquaculture practices. Our big project right now is integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, where we raise steelhead trout in a net pen, and reduce the nutrient output from the fish by raising blue mussels and kelp on the same platform.” Equipment used for aquaculture can sometimes pose a problem for native sea life, which is an issue Mike and his colleagues are looking to solve as well. “Replacing rope with fiberglass is one example. The fiberglass rod is flexible enough in the water to bend with tides and currents, but rigid enough where entanglement would not be a concern if there were an interaction with a whale. We are also using ‘on-demand retrieval’ equipment that connects to aquaculture gear at the bottom and releases a retrieval line only when you communicate to the device with an acoustic signal. This reduces the amount of ropes in the water.”
In addition to the research Mike does, outreach is also an important part of science and Mike’s position. He tells me, “Outreach allows people who might not otherwise know about research taking place to access that knowledge. Often, scientists focusing on their research might not have the time or communication skills to reach outside of their research circles, which makes the role of science educator very important.” Mike recognized this importance as an intern for the Science Center and has continued this culture of learning through informal science education. He has even returned to the Center to represent UNH and NH Sea Grant at Atlantic Grill’s Music by the Sea concert series, a favorite event of his as an employee. Now, he says, “I love reconnecting with old friends who are still working to make those events amazing!”
When asked if there is an important message he would like to share with children and families today, Mike says “I’ve found that it is important to always seek out learning opportunities. Our seacoast community depends on the ocean, and striving for a healthy ocean benefits all. Keep learning what you can and be curious, there is always more to learn!”
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