Resources Database

Maine aquaculture marking requirements (effective January 1, 2023) for lease sites and LPA sites with a sample marker buoy image.

Washington County Community College and Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center have joined forces with partners, to bring you Workforce Training in Aquaculture. Students will have the opportunity to start careers in the aquaculture sector statewide, as well as transfer into four-year programs.

The UMaine Aquaculture Research Insitute has created a Research Portal in which you can look up aquaculture research happening in Maine by focus area, PI, funding source, timeline or keyword.

A study to provide an up-to-date and accurate annual statewide economic contribution of Maine’s aquaculture industry and determine aquaculture business owner and farm demographics.

Fact sheet on aquaculture lease hearings which are an adjudicatory hearing. It also includes the criteria for issuing aquaculture leases.

DMR welcomes and encourages comment on aquaculture lease applications. This explains the process, scoping sessions, submitting a comment, speaking at a public hearing and more.

Offers a collaborative outlook and proposes goals to guide the aquaculture sector in Maine over the next ten years. Four goals were identified: 1. Develop a streamlined licensing and permitting process that balances the rights of an applicant and the public. 2. Increase integration and understanding of aquaculture in Maine’s coastal communities 3. Expand and promote the Maine seafood brand. 4. Make Maine a leader in triple bottom line sustainable aquaculture: social, economic, environmental.

Answers questions like "What can I grow?", "How much space can I occupy?" "How long does a lease or license last?", "How much will it cost?", "What type of gear can I use?", and more.

A list of current aquaculture training programs offered in Maine.

Descriptions of each aquaculture lease and license type. All applications must be submitted using these forms.

At aquaculture lease hearings, Maine DMR will receive evidence relating to the legal criteria upon which it must base its decision on whether to grant the lease. The criteria for granting a standard or experimental aquaculture lease that the lease must not unreasonably interfere with are listed here.

Lists all upcoming aquaculture public meetings, hearings, and scoping sessions and give the date, time, town and location for them.

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.

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.

This flowchart visually maps out the Maine DMR Limited Purpose Aquaculture (LPA) application process.

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.

A look at the individual Maine farmers who make a living in the growing industry of Aquaculture.

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.

This report provides an overview of permitting and leasing programs for aquaculture in U.S. state waters. However, it is strongly recommended that you speak with a local aquaculture representative prior to beginning your planning process. Aquaculture permitting is both complex and subject to frequent change.

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

In-depth paper on the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.