Resources Database

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.

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.

This fact sheet reviews the method for constructing a cylindrical silo for an upwelling system.

Aquaculture of softshell clams (Mya arenaria), also called “steamer clams”, has grown steadily and is becoming a significant industry in New England. Examined in this fact sheet are specific aspects of softshell clam production during the Hatchery Phase and a description of variations in management practices at three shellfish facilities: two in Massachusetts and one in Maine.

Brief overview of softshell clam distribution, habitat, life cycle, predators, disease, harvest, marketing, and aquaculture.

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

Reviews upwelling techniques for growing juvenile shellfish including different design considerations pros and cons and locations.

Use this to create your own farm-specific Best Management Practices (BMP) document use this template, a Microsoft Excel file in macro format.

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.

Aquaculture risk management fact sheet covering the types of risks aquaculturists deal with and how to manage these risks include both insurance and non-insurance options.

Reviews business management skills, such as finance, record keeping, marketing, and personnel management. More aquaculture businesses fail because of poor management than poor production practices.

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.

This book was designed with Certified Shellfish Dealers in mind and gives detailed information about HACCP Plans (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), monitoring of Daily Sanitation practices, SSOP (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures), Tags, Tagging & Transportation of Shellstock, Wet Storage Standard Operating Procedure, and more.

Slideshow summarizing the regulations for shellstock and shucked shellfish handling, sanitation, tagging, and labeling for the state of Maine

In depth study on larval development, sampling and observation methods, calculation of density, larval measurements and identification, and comparison between certain species.

Reviews the importance of recording growth and environmental data, estimating number of seed, and provides template data sheets to record this information.

Construction guide for the Cornell System FLUPSY using off-the-shelf components including instructions, diagrams, and images.

Fact sheet on QPX (Quahog Parasite Unknown) a Protozoan parasite of hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, including history, infection and mortality, guidelines for management, and how to determine if hard clams are infected.

Reviews common diseases of marine bivalves such as MSX, dermo, juvenile oyster disease, bonamiasis, hemic neoplasia, gonadal neoplasia, and QPX, and available means for preventing or minimizing their impacts.