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 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 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
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
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
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 How to Install a Soft-shell Clam Farm How to Install a Soft-shell Clam Farm A guide on what is soft-shell clam farming, how to start your own farm, and quick overview of the financials of clam farming. 2018 Manomet
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 Best Management Practices for the East Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Industry Best Management Practices for the East Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Industry In depth document created to provide the information and a framework that will enable a shellfish farmer to write a comprehensive Best Management Practices document focusing on gear/operation and maintenance, user conflicts, permitting/siting, and environmental concerns. 2010 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
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 Best Management Practices Template Best Management Practices Template Use this to create your own farm-specific Best Management Practices (BMP) document use this template, a Microsoft Excel file in macro format. 2010 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
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 Aquaculture Systems for the Northeast Aquaculture Systems for the Northeast Overview of popular finfish and shellfish aquaculture systems (husbandry & gear) used in the northeast including bottom culture, near bottom culture, water column culture, surface culture, hatchery land-based systems. 2008 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit QPX Disease QPX Disease Fact sheet on QPX (Quahog Parasite Unknown) a Protozoan parasite of hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, including history, infection and mortality, guidelines for management, and how to determine if hard clams are infected. 2000 Connecticut Department of Agriculture