Visit Best Practices for the East Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Industry Best Practices for the East Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Industry In September 2023 the ECSGA updated its 2010 Best Management Practices manual. Building on the 2010 version, this update adds a new section on the management and handling of floating gear, hundreds of embedded links, info on new gear types and a revised bibliography. ECSGA also completely revamped the tool to create your own farm-specific Best Practices document: the Best Practices Form. 2023 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
Visit Biofouling Prevention and Management in the Marine Aquaculture Industry Biofouling Prevention and Management in the Marine Aquaculture Industry This report addresses biofouling management in relation to marine aquaculture industry operations, equipment and infrastructure. It covers shellfish, finfish and seaweed operations in estuaries and seawater. It does not address freshwater aquaculture activities. 2022 UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Visit Resources for Growers Resources for Growers DMR resources for growers including approved hatcheries, biosecurity, shellfish sanitation, harvest and reporting, and forms. 2022 Maine DMR Division of Aquaculture
Looking for Gear? This is a list of aquaculture gear and service businesses including oyster gear, mussel gear, seaweed gear, scallop gear, general marine gear, marine services (moorings/diving/boat repair) harvest/processing gear, and water monitoring gear. Lists were compiled by surveying Maine aquaculturists. 2022 The Maine Aquaculturist
Visit Disinfection for used shellfish equipment Disinfection for used shellfish equipment After purchasing used shellfish production equipment, it is strongly recommended to thoroughly clean and disinfect the gear prior to use to limit the risk of introducing disease or invasive species. An easy-to-use process is as follows: 2021 Maine Sea Grant
Visit ECSGA Rookie Mistakes ECSGA Rookie Mistakes If you have been around this business for a while, you’ve probably watched some of the newcomers make the same mistakes you did when you were getting started. ECSGA Executive Director Bob Rheault decided he would try to think of as many of these common pitfalls as he could to help new growers avoid making the same costly blunders. Through the years he has continued to add to the list. 2021 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
Visit How a High Tech Mussel Farm Harvests 7,000 Pounds of Mussels per Day How a High Tech Mussel Farm Harvests 7,000 Pounds of Mussels per Day This video gives a first-hand account of running a mussel farm by Bangs Island Mussels including on the water gear and husbandry and well as shore-side processing. Some highlights are seeding, socking, hauling and stripping machine, de-clumper, size grader, debyssing machine, automatic bagger/weigher/conveyor, and more. 2021 Eater / Bangs Island Mussels
Visit Optimizing Production and Products for Scallop Aquaculture Optimizing Production and Products for Scallop Aquaculture Webinar about research on scallop aquaculture production and economics including comparisons of nursery and growout gear: lantern nets, pearl nets, ear hanging, pocket nets, rigid trays, and adhesives; tissue sampling and testing for biotoxins such as saxitoxin and domoic acid; evaluation of fouling communities; surveys of producers to understand economic inputs and outputs such as capital, labor, and yield; environmental data matched with growth data to better understand good scallop-farming sites. 2021 Maine Sea Grant
Recommendations for LPA Mooring Systems and Designs When submitting a LPA application one of the details that can make or break your approval is your mooring system. Understanding and installing moorings that work for the load that aquaculture gear generates is crucial and creating an accurate and readable mooring system design in your application is key for your approval. 2021 Casco Marine, LLC
Visit Bird Interactions with Shellfish Aquaculture Bird Interactions with Shellfish Aquaculture There are several ways in which birds interact with shellfish aquaculture. Birds can cause significant damage to crops through predation. Some birds fall into the category of protected resources and farmers have been variously accused of interfering with foraging, (either attracting or disturbing or both) and interfering with hunting. Birds can be attracted to aquaculture structures for roosting or foraging and their guano can impact water quality and trigger the need for growers to develop management plans under the National Shellfish Sanitation Plan. 2021 Maine DMR Bureau of Public Health
Industry Perspective The Basics on Aquaculture Mooring Systems When submitting a LPA or Lease application one of the details that you might brush over is your mooring system. A lack of research in this area can lead to gear breaking free causing significant damage and loss of your crop. Understanding and installing moorings that work for the load that aquaculture gear generates is crucial. Capt. Eric Oransky 2021
Visit Biofouling in Shellfish Aquaculture Biofouling in Shellfish Aquaculture Powerpoint on biofouling including, economic impact, general impact, common fouling organisms (macroalgae, tunicates, hydroids, boring sponge, over-set of barnacles, mussels, or oysters), controlling fouling, and methods to avoid, mitigate, or prevent the effects of biofouling. 2020 Woods Hole Sea Grant
Visit Food Export USA-Northeast Food Export USA-Northeast This non-profit organization helps export Northeast food and agricultural products overseas since 1973. They provides a wide range of services to facilitate trade between local food suppliers and importers around the world including: export education, self-paced training & expert advice, customized export assistance, new market analysis, international marketing &branding, facilitate meetings with international buyers, and a cost-share funding program. 2020 Food Export USA
Industry Perspective Matching your Farm Site to your Crop’s Ecological and Environmental Needs The last thing you want to discover, after investing your time and money, is that you chose a site that doesn’t suit your species so here are some key factors to consider. Chris Davis, Ph.D., Executive Director 2020
Industry Perspective Kelp Farming Realities Growing kelp is great for the environment and here is what you'll need to know before starting a kelp farm from a phone interview with Briana Warner. Briana Warner, Chief Executive Officer (phone interview) 2020
Visit Edible Seaweed Market Analysis Edible Seaweed Market Analysis A critical study that describes the growth potential for Maine's edible seaweed market over the next fifteen years. This report documents the size and nature of the business opportunity and identifies the requirements for sustainable growth. 2020 Island Institute
Visit Methods and Materials for Aquaculture Production of Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) Methods and Materials for Aquaculture Production of Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) In depth review of sea scallop biology, spat collection, nursery, grow out, gear, husbandry, site selection economic considerations and biotoxins/public health. 2020 Coastal Enterprises, Inc
Visit Mussel Sector: Maine in 2020 Mussel Sector: Maine in 2020 Overview of how Pemaquid Mussel Farms reached their development goal of a 5 fold increase in production within 10 years to $15 million annually using new technology and business planning. 2020 Carter Newell, Pemaquid Mussel Farms
Visit Research, Development and Education Priorities for the Aquaculture Sector in Maine Research, Development and Education Priorities for the Aquaculture Sector in Maine This report is based on the research priorities survey conducted in June 2019 of Maine’s aquaculture community and is compared with surveys from 2012 and 2016 to look at trends. There have been some changes in the prioritization of needs since 2016, but many of the same research, development, and education (R&D&E) needs persist and remain unaddressed. As expected, there are different R&D&E priorities for different aquaculture sectors. 2020 Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center
Visit Kennebec River Biosciences Kennebec River Biosciences A global fish and shellfish health lab, we offer you top-quality diagnostics, import/export inspections, and veterinary solutions from consultation to custom vaccines. 2020 Kennebec River Biosciences
Visit Market Analysis of Maine Farm-raised Sea Scallops Market Analysis of Maine Farm-raised Sea Scallops This report assesses the potential market environment for Maine farm-raised sea scallops including political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal/regulatory, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 2019 Coastal Enterprises, Inc., rbouvier consulting
Visit The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture: Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture: Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals In-depth paper on the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 2018 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Visit Maine Aquaculture Economic Impact Report Maine Aquaculture Economic Impact Report A study to provide an up-to-date and accurate annual statewide economic contribution of Maine’s aquaculture industry and determine aquaculture business owner and farm demographics. 2017 University of Maine
Visit Shellfish Biosecurity: Risks, Management & Best Practices Bivalve Shellfish Physiology, Pathogens, Diseases Shellfish Biosecurity: Risks, Management & Best Practices Bivalve Shellfish Physiology, Pathogens, Diseases Presentation on oyster pathogens and diseases such as MSX, SSO, dermo, and Vibrio, testing protocols, long-term management, oyster predators & pests, the difference bewteen infection and disease, disese prevention, biosecurity, risk evaluation, pathogen surveillance, and zonation. 2016 Kennebec River Biosciences