2026-2027 Funded Projects
Research is a core part of New Hampshire Sea Grant’s mission to promote responsible stewardship of New Hampshire’s ocean, coastal, and estuarine resources.
For over thirty years, New Hampshire Sea Grant has funded innovative, impactful, and engaged research in two year cycles, providing partner institutions and researchers with resources and connections to create meaningful scientific progress in the Granite State.
In 2026, we’re launching a new cohort of researchers whose projects will leverage innovative technology, advance scientific techniques, and improve our understanding of key ecosystems and species. The funded research projects, which focus on aquaculture and fisheries science, environmental contaminants, and coastal resilience will forge a strong path forward in the midst of local and regional environmental change to help New Hampshire's communities, economies, and ecosystems.
Recovery of biogeochemical function and microbial communities in restored salt marshes in coastal New Hampshire
New Hampshire's salt marshes are valuable coastal ecosystems, but they are under threat from human activities, with an estimated 18-50% of salt marsh habitat lost. To help restore these ecosystems, scientists and coastal managers are turning to 'living shorelines', which use natural materials and vegetation to stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion. While living shorelines have shown promise, few studies have examined how well they restore the marsh’s natural functions, like cycling nutrients and storing carbon. To address this gap in understanding, Ashley Bulseco, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at University of New Hampshire, and her team will use microbes as 'bioindicators' of recovery to study three living shoreline projects in the Great Bay Estuary and Seacoast. This project aims to characterize microbes in salt marsh recovery and use this data to help measure restoration success earlier and more effectively. The team will also enhance elementary and middle school students’ literacy of microbes and their role in coastal ecosystems by developing curricula centered around microbiome science.
Project Team:
Ashley Bulseco (Lead) – University of New Hampshire
Gregg Moore – University of New Hampshire
David Burdick – University of New Hampshire
Taniya RoyChowdhury – Woodwell Climate Research Center
Gracie Ballou – NH Sea Grant and University of New Hampshire
Understanding the role of diet in the sustainability of the Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod fishery
Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are a historically important fishery in US waters. However, the sustainable management of this fishery has been a major challenge with the population currently struggling to recover from significant declines. Despite reduced quotas and a better understanding of population structures, cod aren’t reproducing as successfully as expected, particularly a stock that spawns in the spring. This suggests that overfishing may not be the only issue. Changes in what cod eat and environmental conditions could be affecting their ability to reproduce. Poor diet can lead to fish being in worse condition, which may cause them to skip spawning altogether. To better understand whether food and environmental conditions are affecting cod recovery, Adrienne Kovach, a professor of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of New Hampshire, and her team will study what spring- and winter-spawning cod eat throughout the year, and how their diets relate to their health and reproduction. The team will work with commercial and recreational fishers to collect samples, use genetic tools to identify different spawning groups, and analyze stomach contents using DNA techniques. By comparing diet, body condition, and reproductive health between spring- and winter-spawning cod, the team hopes to uncover why some groups are struggling more than others. The findings will help fisheries managers make more informed decisions, while also engaging fishing communities and the public through hands-on science and outreach efforts.
Project Team:
Adrienne Kovach (Lead) – University of New Hampshire
Linas Kenter – NH Sea Grant & University of New Hampshire
Nathan Furey – University of New Hampshire
Evaluating the northern range expansion of crab species in New Hampshire through community engagement, baseline monitoring, and trophic interactions
As ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine warm, several crab species are expanding their ranges into the Gulf of Maine and its estuaries, including New Hampshire's Great Bay Estuary. Species like the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), once rare north of Cape Cod, are now increasingly found in New Hampshire waters as overwintering temperatures become less of a limiting factor. This range expansion of blue crabs can result in potential impacts to vital coastal habitats, as well as to economically important species like lobster and oysters. Understanding the distribution and ecological impact of blue crabs is essential to protect the ecosystem services estuaries provide and to anticipate potential challenges for fisheries and aquaculture. This project led by Christopher Peter, Research Coordinator at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, will investigate current and emerging crab communities in New Hampshire’s Great Bay ecosystem, with a focus on blue crabs. Researchers will implement a monitoring program that incorporates local observations and scientific sampling, assess the feeding habits of blue crabs through stable isotope and DNA analysis, and evaluate potential impacts on natural oyster beds and aquaculture operations. The project will also bring together stakeholders from across New Hampshire and Maine to share knowledge and coordinate efforts through research, education, and outreach, ultimately supporting informed management of this changing coastal ecosystem.
Project Team:
Christopher Peter (Lead) – Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Alison Watts – University of New Hampshire
Jason Goldstein – Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
Gabriela Bradt – NH Sea Grant & UNH Extension
Jessica Batchelder – Manomet
Katharine McGovern – Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Developing a water level sensor monitoring network in the City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire to build community resilience and environmental literacy for coastal flooding and storm surge
Recent coastal storms in New Hampshire, including major events in December 2022 and January 2024, have caused record flooding from a combination of high tides, storm surge, and rainfall, leading to significant damage in communities like Portsmouth. As sea levels rise and these storms become more frequent, local cities and towns are increasingly vulnerable to both surface flooding and groundwater inundation. This growing risk has created a need for better data and tools to understand when and where flooding occurs, so communities can more efficiently prepare for and respond to these events. To address this need, Michael Routhier from the Earth Systems Research Center at University of New Hampshire, and his research team will partner with the City of Portsmouth to build a network of wireless water level sensors. These sensors will track the timing and location of flooding at a city-scale. The data will be shared with city officials in near real time to improve management decisions, while also supporting the development of predictive flood models and long-term planning strategies. The project will engage students and community members and explore opportunities to expand similar monitoring systems across other New Hampshire coastal communities.
Project Team:
Michael Routhier (Lead) – University of New Hampshire
Fei Han – University of New Hampshire
Lisa Wise – NH Sea Grant and UNH Extension
Wilfred Wollheim – University of New Hampshire
Understanding Vibrio contamination risks associated with genetically diverse shellfish aquaculture seed
Shellfish farmers in New Hampshire need access to genetically diverse shellfish seed to sustain their businesses, but they also must guard against harmful bacteria like Vibrio. Concerns about human illness associated with Vibrio strains have led state officials to restrict where shellfish seed can be imported from. While these policies help protect public health, they’ve also limited seed availability and genetic diversity of farmed shellfish. There is also a limited understanding of Vibrio association with clams and scallops, which are not typically consumed raw and pose less of a threat to consumers, but could still be a source of environmental Vibrio contamination. This research project by Cheryl Whistler, Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire, aims to expand access to safe shellfish seed by better understanding and reducing Vibrio risks. Building on previous Sea Grant-funded research, the project will test how factors like breeding practices, hatchery conditions, and pre-deployment treatments (such as salinity changes) influence the presence of Vibrio in oysters and other shellfish. The project will develop improved tools to detect harmful strains, including a new method for identifying an emerging pathogen, Vibrio fluvialis. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to provide farmers and regulators with the science needed to safely broaden seed sourcing options, while also creating clear, accessible resources that explain how these practices protect both public health and the shellfish industry.
Project Team:
Cheryl Whistler (Lead) – University of New Hampshire
PFAS bioaccumulation and effects on lobsters in and near Great Bay Estuary
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or 'forever chemicals', have emerged as a threat to the health of both people and the environment. PFAS are synthetic chemicals found in a wide variety of oil and water resistant consumer products as well as firefighting foam. The ubiquity of PFAS in the environment and their solubility in water has resulted in the exposure of aquatic organisms. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of PFAS in fish and invertebrates in freshwater ecosystems have been studied but far less is known about PFAS in marine food webs. Celia Chen, Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College, and her team will investigate PFAS in the different life stages of the American Lobster (Homarus americanus), a commercially important species in the Gulf of Maine. This study will examine the fate and effects of PFAS in lobsters both inside of the Great Bay Estuary where known sources of PFAS contamination exist, and offshore in the Gulf of Maine. The results of this work will provide stakeholders with a better understanding of how PFAS impacts this crucial fishery to the region.
Collaborators:
Celia Chen (Lead) – Dartmouth College and Biodiversity Research Institute
Jason Goldstein – Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
