Resources Database

Predictions from the Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) Forecast are not representations of fact or guarantees of future toxicity levels, and this forecast cannot be used to determine whether seafood is safe to eat or harvest. Determinations of safety should be based on shellfish toxicity testing. This forecast is the product of a collaboration between the Maine Department of Marine Resources and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

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

Comprehensive information on aquaculture leases and Limited-Purpose Aquaculture (LPA) licenses, including details on active and denied lease decisions, pending applications, and interactive data tables with links to maps and documents.

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

DMR-approved hatchery status is contingent upon a variety of factors including clean pathology reports and hatchery inspections. Given this, the list below is subject to change.

List of all forms including volunteer quality assurance training, training checklist, application and liability waiver, water sampling field data sheet, and a data sheet for GPS coordinates.

Licenses AND Sanitation Certificates must be applied for online! This is new and the preferred system for applications now. This includes Shellstock Shipper Certificate, Shucker-Packer Certificate, Shellfish Reshipper Certificate, and Depuration Processor Certificate.

Discusses what marketing is and why it is important including developing a marketing plan, market outlets, and personalizing the products and the business.

List of all forms used by the Bureau of Public Health.

Summarizes common and important mistakes that new growers will make when first starting.

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. provides loans to aquaculturists. If you are seeking to grow your aquaculture operation but have had difficulty getting a loan from a commercial lender, CEI is here to help.

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.

The spreadsheet provides estimates of cost and returns for bottom culture of spat on shell oysters in Maryland. Being able to accurately determine cost and return in business allows you to plan to maximize potential profit and determine expenses, cash flow, and other important aspects of management. This spreadsheet will give you the opportunity to do “what if” scenarios when planning your business.

General budget guidelines for growers marketing 250,000 - 1,000,000 oyster per year.

List of Grants and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) on the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) website. These include opportunities in Coastal Access & Working Waterfronts, Coastal Community Planning, and Outreach & Education.

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.

This brochure explains the benefits of eating locally farmed seafood including freshness, heart-health, food safety, good nutrition, and community benefits.

Careful financial management is essential for the success of an aquaculture business. While financial management is a complex topic that can be approached from many perspectives, there are some key questions that the manager of an aquaculture business must answer affirmatively to be successful. Determining the answers requires careful, thorough, and comprehensive analysis. This publication, written by Dr. Carole Engle, a specialist in aquaculture economics, outlines the types of analyses and financial statements required to answer these critical questions.

This brochure reviews what Vibrio is and how to reduce illness from Vibrio by achieving and maintaining temperature controls when harvesting and transporting shellfish.

Cash flow problems are one of the most common types of financial problems in aquaculture businesses. This publication, written by Dr. Carole Engle, a specialist in aquaculture economics, addresses the question of whether the business can generate enough cash when needed to pay its bills (liquidity). Liquidity is a fairly broad concept, and a number of financial indicators can be used to measure it. Of these, the cash flow statement is the most useful means of monitoring the liquidity of a business.

Lists contact information for DMR’s aquaculture program staff who are located in Augusta and the Boothbay Harbor Lab.

After purchasing used shellfish production equipment, it is strongly recommended to thoroughly clean and disinfect the gear prior to use to limit the risk of introducing disease or invasive species. An easy-to-use process is as follows:

The comprehensive financial analysis of aquaculture businesses requires that three key aspects of financial management be evaluated: financial position, profitability, and liquidity/cash flow position. Profitability is the difference between total revenue and total cost. It must be analyzed separately from financial position and liquidity/cash flow. This publication written by Dr. Carole Engle, a specialist in aquaculture economics, discusses profitability as measured from income statements and enterprise budgets.

Reviews the benefits of developing a biosecurity plan and a step-by-step outline on how to develop a plan that will protect your farm from disease-causing organisms or pathogens.