INTRODUCTION 



Casco Bay, a large, complex bay, located on the south central coast 

 of Maine, is noted for its scenic beauty as well as for its importance 

 to business and commerce (Fig. 1). Within the approximately 400 square 

 kilometers comprising Casco Bay are 300 kilometers of coastline and 

 upwards of 400 islands (U.S. FWS , 1980). Included within Casco Bay is 

 the city of Portland, the largest in Maine, which ranks as one of the 

 busiest ports in New England, largely due to heavy petroleum traffic. 

 Portland is also the largest fishing port in Maine. Presently, 27% of 

 the coastal population of Maine is situated on Casco Bay. The growth of 

 this segment of Maine's population will be accelerated by the increased 

 use of Portland Harbor. Current expansion projects include a major ship 

 building facility, a fish pier, and a containerized cargo dock. Some of 

 the major existing facilities representing potential threats to 

 environmental quality are located in Fig. 3. At the same time that 

 human and industrial density is increasing in the Casco Bay region, 

 seals, eagles, black guillemots, and other species indicative of a clean 

 or undisturbed environment, are still found and the area remains heavily 

 utilized for commercial fishing. 



In spite of the potential for conflict between development and the 

 traditional use of the nearshore waters for commercial fishing and 

 recreation, little systematic environmental evaluation has been 

 accomplished in Casco Bay. Hulburt (1968, 1970) and Hulburt and Corwin 

 (1970) investigated several aspects of the physical oceanography and 

 phytoplankton of the region while Jones (1980), and Parker and Garfield 

 (1981a, b) provided background information on microplankton production 



