Resources Database

Uses the standards outlined by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) to evaluate and certify all wholesale shellfish dealers in Maine to ship, or process shellfish for shipment, within and outside of the state.

The goal of these new requirements is to control the safety of molluscan shellfish for human consumption by preventing unnecessary growth of bacterial pathogens resulting from improper or ineffective cooling or from time to temperature abuse.

A basic list of what licenses you need to sell your aquaculture shellfish at your home, at your lease site, to your local grocery/general store, roadside, to a restaurant, to a wholesale distributor, at a farmers market, or out of state.

This flowchart maps the different licenses you need to have to sell your aquaculture shellfish out of state by mail or by vehicle, and in the state of Maine including selling direct to restaurants, and wholesale distributors, at a farmer's market, your home, and your lease site.

Answers basic questions about Maine DMR's Aquaculture Harvest License such as: Who should have it?, What is it? What does it cost?, What does this license allow you to do?, How do I apply?, and Who should I contact with questions?

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.

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.

Lists all forms involved with sanitation and the HACCP guidelines including vibrio control plans, wet storage, daily sanitation reports, a processing log with sales records, shipping temperature compliance, and more.

This brochure reviews safe handling, storage, and cooking practices that shellfish consumers should follow to prevent illness.

A list of current aquaculture training programs offered in Maine.

The Maine Aquaculture Association has released the first Maine Aquaculture Occupational Standards, which specify the current workforce skills and training needs of Maine’s aquaculture sector. Altogether, four standards have been released, focusing on occupations related to (1) Marine Shellfish and Sea Vegetables; (2) Marine Finfish; (3) Land-Based RAS; and (4) Land-Based Shellfish Hatcheries. A supplementary document, the Maine Shellfish Aquaculture Career Pathways Map, is designed to provide an overview of the most common job types, entry points, and career pathway opportunities in Maine’s shellfish aquaculture sector today.

General overview of Vibrio sp. and how consumers can avoid Vibrio-related illness by following current health advisories and proper handling.

These risk management tools are designed to help Maine aquaculture producers find new ways to identify and respond to risk on their farms and in their businesses. The tools include information and visuals to help farmers identify risk factors and risk management within each of the five categories of risk as well as aquaculture crop insurance options currently available.

A brief introduction to current commercial production species, potential commercial species, and experimental species including the hard clam (quahog), eastern oyster, blue mussel, softshell clam, macroalgae, bay scallop, European oyster, surf clam, sea scallop, and more.

Reviews the types of harmful phytoplankton that produce biotoxins such as Alexandrium, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning; Pseudo-nitzschia, which causes amnesic shellfish poisoning; and Dinophysis, which causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.

Provides a unified national voice for aquaculture on the national level as well as informative webinars, publications, and facts about aquaculture.

Provides basic information on harmful algal blooms (HAB) such as causes, most common species, successful management and monitoring programs, control, prevention, and mitigation strategies, economic consequences, associated risks to human health, and impacts on food webs and ecosystems.

Reviews harmful algae blooms including conditions for biotoxin formation, detection, management, and common types of HAB's in the northeast.

Uses the standards outlined in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) to monitor levels of PSP (“Red Tide”) and other marine biotoxins in the shellfish of the State of Maine.

Guidance on the five steps to form an LLC; chose a name, find a registered agent, file certificate of formation, create an operating agreement, and get an EIN.

A critical long-term decision aquaculturists must make is to determine whether the business can generate enough value over time to pay off its debts. The appropriate financial statement for doing this is the balance sheet. The balance sheet is divided into two main categories: assets and liabilities. The balance sheet is structured by dividing assets and liabilities into one of two time periods: current and noncurrent. This publication, written by Dr. Carole Engle, a specialist in aquaculture economics, will help you identify the financial strengths and weaknesses of your business using balance sheets.

DMR resources for growers including approved hatcheries, biosecurity, shellfish sanitation, harvest and reporting, and forms.

A global fish and shellfish health lab, we offer you top-quality diagnostics, import/export inspections, and veterinary solutions from consultation to custom vaccines.