Sustaining a thriving lobster fishery through science and community.

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Staff Members

Diane Cowan - Executive Director and Senior Scientist Diane founded The Lobster Conservancy in 1996 with her vision of building a bridge to join all of those sharing the common goal of maintaining a strong and healthy lobster resource.  She stands out as a research scientist and educator in the academic, government and non-profit sectors. Diane earned her Ph.D. from the Boston University Marine Program as a Presidential University Graduate Fellow in 1992. She taught as Assistant Professor at Bates College from 1992-1994. Diane served the State of Maine's Department of Marine Resources as chief lobster biologist and leader of the Division of Biological Monitoring for the lobster, shrimp, herring and urchin fisheries during 1998-1999. In 1999-2000, Diane continued her studies as a Marine Policy Fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and in 2005 as a Senior Research Fellow. Diane continues her research as Senior Scientist at The Lobster Conservancy. Diane is the Principal Investigator for the Lobster Sonar Tracking Project and Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Program.

Jane Roundy - JLMP Volunteer Coordinator. Jane graduated from Bowdoin College in 1976 with a B.A. in Economics and Classics, and spent the next 21 years employed by KeyBank in the Commercial Banking division. She was responsible for the Commercial Banking Sales Team for Maine in 1997 when she decided to jump off the corporate ladder and relocate to Owls Head. Volunteering for community and civic organizations has always been an active part of her life. Jane participated in the Penobscot Bay Stewards program in 1998 where she was introduced to TLC. Jane and a fellow Pen Bay steward started as JLMP volunteers in 1998 at a site in Port Clyde. Jane became more actively involved with TLC in 2002 as the JLMP Volunteer Coordinator, and formally joined the staff of TLC in January 2003 in that capacity. Jane also volunteers with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program and Literacy Volunteers of Mid-Coast Maine.

Dan O'Grady - Research Scientist. Dan first studied lobsters as a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. He received a Masters degree in Zoology and conducted research in Dr. Win Watson’s Lab. His thesis research dealt with the effect that a reduction in salinity has on the physiology and locomotory behavior of lobsters. In order to conduct his research, Dan built devices to measure lobster locomotion in the lab, including a circular "race track" made of trap mesh and PVC, and a "lobster treadmill" made of PVC and Plexiglas. He also assisted in Dr. Watson’s projects, including a study of lobster behavior around a trap that used a time-lapse video system mounted on a trap. Dan first came to TLC as an “Island Fellow” from the Island Institute in Rockland. He lived in Friendship and worked on a number of different projects with The Lobster Conservancy as part of his Fellowship. After TLC Dan moved to New Hampshire and taught high school biology for three years, and now has returned to TLC to work on intertidal sampling, data analysis and paper writing. He and his wife Lindsay plan to settle in Portland. Resume. Resume.

Sarah Lash ­ Research Assistant. Sarah graduated from Gordon College in 2005 with a B.S. in biology. She is a Friendship native and the daughter of a lobster fisherman. She enjoys horseback riding and kayaking.

Former Staff

Sara Ellis - Executive Director Sara Ellis has studied marine biology since 1981, concentrating on behavior of a wide variety of marine organisms including lobsters, octopus, seals, and whales. She received a Doctorate in biology from Dalhousie University in 1998 and a Masters in marine biology from Boston University in 1987, and has served as an Associate Professor at the University of Maine, Orono. She was the recipient of multiple undergraduate and postgraduate research awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Dr. Ellis joined The Lobster Conservancy in January 1999 as Executive Director. In addition to running the day-to-day operations of TLC, Sara managed the volunteer-based Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Program. She had 5 years prior experience managing non-profit scientific research as Project Director for Associated Scientists at Woods Hole. Sara also has professional writing and editorial experience as Editorial Assistant of Oceanus magazine, published by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Sara is presently the Coordinator, Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative, a partnership of governmental and non-governmental organizations in the US and Canada whose goal is to map the entire Gulf of Maine basin.

Linda S. Archambault - Research and Education Coordinator. Linda attended Bates College, graduating in 1982 with a B.S. in Biology. Linda earned her Masters degree in Marine Biology from the Boston University Marine Program in 1986. Her graduate research focused on feeding behavior, chemoreception and related neurophysiology of lobsters. Linda volunteered at TLCs Lobster Life Studies Center in 2001 and was hired as Research and Education Coordinator in 2002. Linda led our SCUBA-based research and was our dive-safety officer. She also taught and coordinated LCs educational projects including Lobster Larvae in the Classroom and the Lobster Literacy Curriculum project. Linda is now teaching science at Lincoln Academy

Andrew Mountcastle – Island Institute Fellow.Andrew grew up in Orono, Maine and has spent as much time as possible on the Maine coast. Prior to attending college, he worked as a research assistant for Dr. Thomas J. Koob at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in the fall of 1996. His research involved investigating the tensile properties of sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) dermis for possible applications in pediatric orthopedic surgery. The following spring he worked as crew aboard Schooner Appledore in Key West, Florida, before sailing the vessel up the East coast to her summer port in Camden, Maine. In 1997 Andrew began attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, spending another summer working as crew aboard Schooner American Eagle in Rockland. In the summer of 2000 he was awarded a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Fellowship, a program of the National Science Foundation. He worked under Marc O. ammers and Dr. Whitlow W. LL. Au at the University of Hawaii, studying the distribution and behavior of Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) along the south shore of Oahu. Andrew went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics and Environmental Studies in 2001 from Bowdoin College. Following graduation he was awarded a one-year Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, for which he studied The Cultural Response to Whale and Dolphin Strandings in seven countries. Andrew joined The Lobster Conservancy as an Island Institute Fellow in the fall of 2003 and worked on a number of projects, including the Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Program and Sonar Tracking Project.

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