PORTLAND, Maine (AP)   A federal program that funds ocean research is going to help establish a push for more scientific work about lobsters in Maine.

Maine’s congressional delegation says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program has awarded $2 million to support lobster research. The delegation says the projects will address subjects such as migration, growth and maturity of lobsters.

The grant is spread out among seven awards, four of which will help research performed by institutions based in Maine. One of the projects will be led by Gulf of Maine Research Institute, which is looking into how the industry will respond if lobster catch deceases and operating costs go up.

Sea Grant also plans to launch a regional lobster extension program that will link the research with industry.