Our Approach

Collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges.

Our Principles

  • Locally Focused

    We are dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. We support solutions that will broadly benefit the bioregion and its diverse communities over generations to come.

  • Globally Relevant

    We leverage the Gulf of Maine’s significance as a testbed for adaptation to environmental change and responses to global opportunities and challenges.

  • Integrated Science, Education, and Community

    We take an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to understanding how natural, social, and economic systems interact.

  • Independent and Objective

    We engage deeply in complex and often controversial marine issues. We are evidence‐based, transparent, and nonpartisan.

  • Inclusive and Collaborative

    We convene diverse stakeholders to solve complex problems. We work with partners and networks to leverage knowledge, relationships, and resources to increase shared impact.

Our History

  • 1994–2004
    The Early Years

    Although the Gulf of Maine Research Institute was founded in 1968, our current story begins in the early 1990s. Several visionary moves set the stage — including recognizing the power of the internet (then in its infancy), pioneering collaborative research to get fishermen and scientists working together, and deciding to build a research lab on the Portland waterfront.

  • 2005–2010
    Building Momentum

    Soon after the opening of our lab in 2005, we accelerate rapidly, recruiting international caliber scientists and other key staff. Many of our core programs and capacities begin to take shape.

  • 2011–2014
    Deepening Impact

    Our science, community, and education departments all function at extraordinary levels, having matured into co-equal lines of business. We take on increasingly complex projects, challenging ourselves to both deepen our impact locally and to share models outside the Gulf of Maine region.

  • 2015–Present
    Recent Success

    The Gulf of Maine is now on the map for world-class ocean research and cutting-edge science education. We’re providing catalytic leadership for communities at the frontiers of a rapidly changing ocean.