Marcy Lucas
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Marcy Lucas Photo by Steve Renner

In the marine world, Marcy Lucas is the equivalent of a law enforcement profiler. She is studying the modus operandi of the most wily, slippery predators known to Maine's Atlantic salmon industry — harbor seals.

"Seals have individual personalities," says Lucas. "Some are very aggressive and others will let you scratch them under the chin. I actually have a lot of respect for them."

In January 1999, Marcy Lucas began work in the aquaculture section of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), based in Boothbay Harbor. That fall, she enrolled as a part-time graduate student in wildlife ecology to pursue research directly related to her work in marine resources.

Lucas is capturing and radio tagging harbor seals found near aquaculture pens. In her research, Lucas seeks to understand whether the same or different harbor seals are showing up at the fish farms to prey on stock. She also is studying the proximity of these seals' favorite haul-out spots to the aquaculture sites.

In Maine, more than 60 percent of farm-raised fish that escape from aquaculture facilities are the result of harbor seal predation. Such releases cost the industry thousands of dollars and threaten Maine's wild Atlantic salmon, which were recently put on the endangered species list.

Along the coast, there are 44 aquaculture sites leased through the state Department of Marine Resources. As part of her research, Lucas is surveying 35 of the farms about seal predation problems and the preventative measures employed at the sites. She follows up the mailed questionnaires with site visits.

Lucas' research will help determine the effectiveness of predation prevention methods now in use. She also will look for site characteristics and management practices that make some farms less vulnerable than others.

"To help them protect their investment, the (Atlantic salmon) industry needs a better understanding of the nature and frequency of predation. The Department of Marine Resources is interested in reducing escapes. Understanding the nature of the interaction between seals and farm-raised fish will allow us to mitigate the problems in the long run," Lucas says.