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
Visit Approved Hatcheries For Shellfish Species Approved Hatcheries For Shellfish Species DMR-approved hatchery status is contingent upon a variety of factors including clean pathology reports and hatchery inspections. Given this, the list below is subject to change. 2022 Maine DMR Division of Aquaculture
Visit The Essential Start Guide: Seed The Essential Start Guide: Seed You need to plan ahead to make sure seed stock is available for the growing season. Without a lead on seed, you could end up missing the entire growing season of your first year. 2022 The Maine Aquaculturist
Visit East Coast Shellfish Hatchery and Nursery Directory East Coast Shellfish Hatchery and Nursery Directory This directory is intended to identify shellfish hatcheries and nurseries from along the east coast of the United States in order to serve as a tool for providing a stronger link between shellfish seed suppliers and shellfish farmers. The directory includes contact information for each business, as well as some additional information indicating the type of operation (i.e., hatchery, nursery, or research) and what products they expect to have available. 2022 Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Visit Maine DMR - LPA License Health Zones Maine DMR - LPA License Health Zones All wild shellfish stock or seed used for cultivation or grow-out must originate from within the same Limited Purpose Aquaculture (LPA) license Health Zone as the LPA license site. A permit is required from DMR if the stock or seed originates from outside the Health Zone. 2022 Maine DMR Division of Aquaculture
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 Clam Kit: Simple Shellfish Management Tools - Part 1: Introduction & Overview Clam Kit: Simple Shellfish Management Tools - Part 1: Introduction & Overview The “Clam Kit” video series shares techniques developed at Downeast Institute to help municipal shellfish management programs enhance their softshell clam flats affordably and effectively. This video gives an overview of clam seed, DEI's hatchery, floating nursery trays, public stock enhancement, DMR lease or LPA, basic husbandry, overwintering, and more. 2021 Downeast Institute
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 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 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
Visit Northeastern U.S. Aquaculture Management Guide: A manual for the identification and management of aquaculture production hazards Northeastern U.S. Aquaculture Management Guide: A manual for the identification and management of aquaculture production hazards Intended to help prospective farmers to identify, record, monitor, and manage production hazards, and ultimately minimize production-related risk. Discusses types of risk in aquaculture, record keeping, environmental conditions, biofouling organisms, predators, diseases, parasites, invasive species, and operational procedures. 2014 Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center, USDA
Visit Dead and Dying Shellfish: What to Do? Dead and Dying Shellfish: What to Do? Fact sheet designed to try to improve the growers knowledge on the process to contact a professional who can examine dead or dying shellfish to determine the cause and how to get the shellfish to them for analysis. 2013 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit Sea Squirts as Potential Vectors of Harmful Algal Introductions Sea Squirts as Potential Vectors of Harmful Algal Introductions This fact sheet is about research that shows connections between sea squirts (ascidian organisms) and harmful algal blooms. In some species, algal cells remain viable after being consumed by biofouling organisms, the invasive sea squirts. 2013 Connecticut Sea Grant
Visit Shellfish Upweller Silo Construction: 101 Shellfish Upweller Silo Construction: 101 This fact sheet reviews the method for constructing a cylindrical silo for an upwelling system. 2010 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit Softshell Clam Culture: Hatchery Phase, Broodstock Care through Seed Production Softshell Clam Culture: Hatchery Phase, Broodstock Care through Seed Production Aquaculture of softshell clams (Mya arenaria), also called “steamer clams”, has grown steadily and is becoming a significant industry in New England. Examined in this fact sheet are specific aspects of softshell clam production during the Hatchery Phase and a description of variations in management practices at three shellfish facilities: two in Massachusetts and one in Maine. 2010 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit Harmful Algae and Marine Aquaculture in the Northeastern United States Harmful Algae and Marine Aquaculture in the Northeastern United States Reviews harmful algae blooms including conditions for biotoxin formation, detection, management, and common types of HAB's in the northeast. 2010 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit Shellfish Upweller Nurseries Shellfish Upweller Nurseries Reviews upwelling techniques for growing juvenile shellfish including different design considerations pros and cons and locations. 2010 Roger Williams University
Visit Biosecurity on the Farm - Guidelines & Resources for Developing a Biosecurity Plan Biosecurity on the Farm - Guidelines & Resources for Developing a Biosecurity Plan Reviews the benefits of developing a biosecurity plan and a step-by-step outline on how to develop a plan that will protect your farm from disease-causing organisms or pathogens. 2010 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit Guide to Sampling and Identifying Larvae of Species of Maricultural Interest Guide to Sampling and Identifying Larvae of Species of Maricultural Interest In depth study on larval development, sampling and observation methods, calculation of density, larval measurements and identification, and comparison between certain species. 2004 New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries
Visit A Low Cost Floating Upweller Shellfish Nursery System: Construction and Operations Guide A Low Cost Floating Upweller Shellfish Nursery System: Construction and Operations Guide Construction guide for the Cornell System FLUPSY using off-the-shelf components including instructions, diagrams, and images. 2002 Cornell Cooperative Extension