Maine, currently, is the center of the bait worm industry, supplying over 90% 

 of this country's production and it is the only area that provides a continued 

 high-level supply of the two species. 



The marine worm industry began on Long Island, NY, in the 1920s, but the 

 fishery gradually moved northward as local worm populations decreased in 

 numbers and more abundant populations were located. The industry began in 

 Maine in the early 1930s and is now centered in Lincoln and Washington 

 Counties. Hancock County also supplies many worms (personal communication 

 from E. P. Creaser, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Augusta, ME; April, 

 1978). Approximately 1200 worm diggers and 19 dealers operate in Maine. 

 Major distributers to local markets are located in New York, Boston, and 

 Baltimore. 



Management 



A license is required for taking more than 125 worms/day. The method of 

 harvest is limited to hand-powered devices, and recently a ban has been placed 

 on digging on Sunday. 



No management plan has been adopted for these marine resources, although the 

 industry has taken exceptional initiative in supporting research and 

 exploration of management alternatives. For a history of the marine worm 

 industry in Maine see Sperling (1979). 



Aquaculture of bloodworms has been suggested by Dow (1978) as the only way to 

 reestablish and sustain the resource in Maine. However, this method was 

 attempted in the early 1970s with little success. The potential for raising 

 bloodworms in heated effluent from a nuclear power plant was studied. Feeding 

 was a major obstacle in the study (Schick 1974), and worms in warmer water 

 reach sexual maturity more rapidly and at smaller sizes. Once worms are 

 sexually mature they become fragile and are of no commercial value. 



RED TIDES 



Red tides have been historically common in marine waters throughout the world. 

 Red tide is a massive population explosion of a species of dinof lagellate that 

 produces a substance that is toxic to many other marine species. The organism 

 is planktonic and its red color, in abundance, gives the impression of a red 

 tide. 



The "red tide organism" of Maine is Gonyaulax excavata (formerly known as G. 



tamarensis ; Loeblich and Loeblich 1975). It is a dinoflagellate, microscopic, 



photosynthetic, single-celled organism covered with cellulose plates, and has 

 two flagellae for locomotion. 



Life History 



Gonyaulax appears to ingest organic particles for energy. It migrates within 

 the water column daily, surfacing during the day and swimming downward at 

 night. Reproduction in Gonyaulax is either asexual or sexual. 



The organism also exists in a cyst form that is nonmotile and has been found 

 in sediment to depths of 90 m (297 feet; personal communication from C. M. 

 Yentsch, Bigelow Laboratory, West Boothbay Harbor, ME; November, 1977). The 

 cysts may form as a response of the organism to environmental stress. 



12-30 



