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 Business Operations Help? This is a list of businesses that can help in your business operations including accountants, legal advice (lawyers), insurance, lease bond, business planning, financing, and branding/marketing. Lists were compiled by surveying Maine aquaculturists. 2022 The Maine Aquaculturist
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
Industry Perspective Branding 101 A short and helpful look at Branding for companies. Kelly Tinkler, Owner 2022
Visit How to Recognize and Treat a Shell-Boring Marine Worm Pest in Oyster Aquaculture How to Recognize and Treat a Shell-Boring Marine Worm Pest in Oyster Aquaculture UC Davis Aquaculture visits Dr. Julieta Martinelli at the University of Washington, Seattle, to learn about the shell-boring marine worm polychaete, otherwise known as blister worms (Polydora websteri), and the treatments to control them in oyster shellfish aquaculture farms. 2022 UC Davis 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 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
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
Visit Online Boating Safety Course Online Boating Safety Course Free online boating safety course that is recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard, approved by NASBLA and the Maine state boating license agency. Complete the course in three steps: enroll in a Boating Safety Course from the course catalog, study and pass the free Boating Safety Course, and print out your certificate of completion. 2021 Boat U.S. Foundation
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 Rookie Mistakes Everyone makes rookie mistakes in the beginning. Here are some learned lessons from Love Point Oysters to help give you a head start. Ben Hamilton and Cameron Barner 2020
Visit Offshore Safety and Survival Training Offshore Safety and Survival Training Provides the essential skills, knowledge and confidence to survive potentially life-threatening situations using both classroom and hands on training in the use of lifesaving equipment. 2020 McMillan Offshore Survival Training
Visit U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Education U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Education U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boating courses provide instruction to boaters at all levels, from the fundamental to the advanced. 2020 U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Visit Oyster Production Equipment Comparisons 2016–2018 Oyster Production Equipment Comparisons 2016–2018 The report provides information on commercially relevant aspects of oyster production gear associated with each equipment type employed including, BST™ Crosshatch, BST™ Longline, OysterGro, Rack and Bag, & Seapa™. They tracked oyster survival, growth by season, shell morphology, worm presence, and cost estimates. 2020 Maryland Sea Grant, University of Maryland
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 Storm and Hurricane Preparedness for Off-Bottom Oyster Aquaculture Storm and Hurricane Preparedness for Off-Bottom Oyster Aquaculture Oyster aquaculture, like any agriculture operation, has inherent risks with perils beyond growers’ control. However, coastal waters present challenges for oyster farmers in the form of tropical storms and hurricanes. 2020 University of Florida/IFAS