Visit Maine Shellfish Dealer Certification and Inspection Program Maine Shellfish Dealer Certification and Inspection Program 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. 2022 Maine DMR Bureau of Public Health
Visit Maine Aquaculture Association Maine Aquaculture Association A non-profit trade association that represents the Maine aquaculture industry at the state, federal, and international levels. 2022 Maine Aquaculture Association
Visit Top Gun- Business Accelerator Program Top Gun- Business Accelerator Program The Top Gun training program is designed specifically for the entrepreneur with a desire to grow his/her business and achieve long-term success through the use of the right tools, resources, and related mentorship. MCE has taken the time to develop strong business partnerships and to acquire loyal sponsorships which allow us to provide Maine entrepreneurs with the programing, mentorship, training, and knowledge they need to grow and succeed. 2022 Maine Center for Entrepreneurs
Visit Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center Established in 1988 by the Maine Legislature with a mission to assist in developing economically and environmentally sustainable aquaculture opportunities in Maine. 2022 Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center
Visit Maine DECD Business Development Maine DECD Business Development An overall business resource on starting a business, business licensing, corporate resources, business taxes, and employer resources. 2022 Maine Department of Economic & Community Development
Visit East Coast Shellfish Growers Association East Coast Shellfish Growers Association Represents over 1500 shellfish farmers from Maine to Florida and has many resources for growers including rookie mistakes, marketing, and public health concerns. 2022 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
Visit CEI-Sustainable Aquaculture & Fisheries CEI-Sustainable Aquaculture & Fisheries Provides advising and financing to fisheries and aquaculture businesses to improve their long-term viability, create and maintain quality jobs, safeguard marine-related infrastructure and environments, and help preserve the cultural integrity of Maine’s working waterfront. 2022 Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
Visit SBA Business Guide SBA Business Guide Step by step guide to help plan, launch, manage, and grow small businesses including, writing a business plan, calculating start-up costs, get funding, managing your finances, and more. 2022 U.S. Small Business Administration
Visit Maine Small Business Development Centers Maine Small Business Development Centers A leader in the small business economic and development arenas that assists new businesses as well as existing businesses manage, run and grow. 2022 Maine Small Business Development Centers
Visit Succeed With SCORE Succeed With SCORE A nonprofit organization providing educational workshops and helping small businesses get started, grow and operate effectively. 2022 SCORE Maine
Visit National Aquaculture Association National Aquaculture Association Provides a unified national voice for aquaculture on the national level as well as informative webinars, publications, and facts about aquaculture. 2022 National Aquaculture Association
Visit Maine Mentor Network Maine Mentor Network Maine Center for Entrepreneurs has a team of business experts that volunteer their time to help you grow your business. 2022 Maine Center for Entrepreneurs
Visit Aquaculture in Shared Waters Aquaculture in Shared Waters This training program uses a mix of meetings and field trips/site visits to introduce participants to the issues important in running a successful aquaculture business including: site selection, equipment and husbandry, permitting and regulation, environmental monitoring, marketing and sales, farm management and biosecurity, business planning, and financial management. 2022 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 MAA Occupational Standards for Maine Aquaculture Training Providers MAA Occupational Standards for Maine Aquaculture Training Providers 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. 2021 Maine Aquaculture Association
Visit Farming the Sea: The Men and Women of Maine Aquaculture Farming the Sea: The Men and Women of Maine Aquaculture A look at the individual Maine farmers who make a living in the growing industry of Aquaculture. 2021 Maine Aquaculture Association & FocusMaine
Visit The Maine Shellfish Handbook The Maine Shellfish Handbook Provides a comprehensive resource to help managers at the local and state level sustain Maine’s valuable shellfish resources. Includes information on the history and biology of the soft-shell clam, northern quahog, American and European oysters, and blue mussels. There are sections on state resources to address water quality issues and predatory species and tools that municipalities can use to preserve or increase their intertidal shellfish resources. 2021 Maine DMR Bureau of Public Health, Maine Sea Grant
Visit Biotoxins in Maine Biotoxins in Maine 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. 2021 Maine DMR Bureau of Public Health
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 DMR Shellfish Time and Temperature Guidance Document DMR Shellfish Time and Temperature Guidance Document 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. 2021 Maine DMR Bureau of Public Health
Visit Maine Seaweed Exchange Maine Seaweed Exchange The Maine Seaweed Exchange is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the success of seaweed professionals of any experience level. We provide education, advocacy, and access to a network of thoughtful and dedicated members from around the world. 2021 Maine Seaweed Exchange
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