Visit Shellfish Aquaculture and the Environment Shellfish Aquaculture and the Environment Focuses primarily on the environmental sustainability of shellfish aquaculture including resource enhancement, habitat restoration, eutrophication, the impacts of farms on water quality, and harvest methods. 2011 Connecticut Sea Grant
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 Conduct of Aquaculture Lease Hearings Conduct of Aquaculture Lease Hearings Fact sheet on aquaculture lease hearings which are an adjudicatory hearing. It also includes the criteria for issuing aquaculture leases. 2020 Maine DMR Division of Aquaculture
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 Explore Careers in Maine Aquaculture Explore Careers in Maine Aquaculture A list of current aquaculture training programs offered in Maine. 2024 Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center
Visit Marine Aquaculture Species for the Northeast Marine Aquaculture Species for the Northeast 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. 2008 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
Visit Softshell Clam Culture: Basic Biology and General Culture Considerations Softshell Clam Culture: Basic Biology and General Culture Considerations Brief overview of softshell clam distribution, habitat, life cycle, predators, disease, harvest, marketing, and aquaculture. 2010 Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center
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 Shellfish Aquaculture is GOOD for the Environment! Shellfish Aquaculture is GOOD for the Environment! This brochure explains the benefits of shellfish aquaculture for the environment including improving water quality, increasing species diversity, removing excess nitrogen, and not needing fertilizers, chemicals, or antibiotics. 2018 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, Rhode Island Sea Grant
Visit Guidance to Maine oyster farmers on selling your product in-state Guidance to Maine oyster farmers on selling your product in-state Summarizes some simple ways that holders of a valid Maine Aquaculture License can get their shellfish to market. 2019 Maine Sea Grant
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 UMaine Professional Micro-Credential Pathway in Sustainable Aquaculture UMaine Professional Micro-Credential Pathway in Sustainable Aquaculture University of Maine System (UMS) micro-credential offers professional development opportunities that result in a verified micro-credential for those who want to update their aquaculture skillset. Coordinated by the Aquaculture Research Institute, this pathway will use the University of Maine System’s extensive aquaculture resources and educational expertise to create hands-on learning experiences. 2022 Aquaculture Research Institute
Visit Upcoming Aquaculture Public Meetings, Hearings, and Scoping Sessions Upcoming Aquaculture Public Meetings, Hearings, and Scoping Sessions Lists all upcoming aquaculture public meetings, hearings, and scoping sessions and give the date, time, town and location for them. 2022 Maine DMR Division of Aquaculture
Visit Refuting Marine Aquaculture Myths, Unfounded Criticisms and Assumptions Refuting Marine Aquaculture Myths, Unfounded Criticisms and Assumptions A variety of tenacious myths critical of marine aquaculture practiced in the United States have persisted for decades to be presented as facts to the public and Congress. The reality is U.S. fish and shellfish farmers culture aquatic animals and plants within a very complicated and expensive legal, regulatory, husbandry, and science-driven environment. We believe critics are unfamiliar with this environment or have erroneously assumed marine aquaculture-related environmental damage reported in other countries occurs in the United States. 2024 National Aquaculture Association
Industry Perspective Being a Good Aquaculture Lease Applicant Tips on getting through the lease hearing process from a veteran oyster farm owner. Bill Mook, business owner 2020
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 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
Visit Aquaculture Jobs Training Program: Entry Level Oyster Farm Worker Aquaculture Jobs Training Program: Entry Level Oyster Farm Worker Free online entry-level oyster farm worker Certificate course. Do all 16 modules to pursue farmhand certification, or simply watch and browse to get a better sense of the industry. Instructors include East Coast Shellfish Growers Association's Dr. Bob Rheault, and amazing farmers Matt Behan, John and Cindy West, and David Roebuck. 2022 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, Sea Grant, NOAA
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 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 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 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. 2024 East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
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 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