The Essential Start Guide to Maine Aquaculture
Outlining the rich opportunities and the overlooked realities of starting an aquaculture business in the state of Maine.
See the GuideBecoming an Aquaculturist
In Maine, Aquaculturists are stewards of both local economies and ecologies. They inhabit a unique role in their communities — one that's not to be taken lightly. This guide will help you determine if sea farming is right for you. If you're looking for more general information about aquaculture in Maine, click the link below.
01 – Do Your Research
Learn the basics of business planning, markets, species, gear types, and regulations to start a successful aquaculture business.
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Seek Out Training/Mentoring
Various organizations in the state offer one-on-one counseling, aquaculture-specific technical training programs, and even basic business t…
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Begin Your Business Plan
A sound business plan should establish a business model, set operational goals, and provide insight into the profit potential of your opera…
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Understand the Markets
Price. Demand. Competition. Do you have a handle on these factors? Grounding your business in an understanding of the market allows you to …
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Know Your Species
Every species requires specific environmental conditions to flourish. Your farm’s water needs to provide the right conditions to ensure hea…
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Learn the Gear
Aquaculture gear types are species-specific and vary drastically in cost, site requirements, required labor, upkeep, and longevity. Gear wi…
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Learn the Rules
In order to select a good location for your sea farm, you need to understand what the regulating agencies do and do not allow. If you under…
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![Two men dock a small boat at sunset.]()
Case study
Common Aquaculture Lease Application Mistakes
This document was generated by DMR staff and reflects mistakes that are routinely identified during the review of experimental and standard lease applications. These are the issues, or combination of issues, that most often result …
02 – Select Your Site
Key decisions must be explored before deciding on a site. The process is rigorous, mistakes can be costly, and poor planning can set you back years.
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Community Engagement
One of the most common mistakes of aspiring aquaculturists is neglecting the community aspects of site selection. Nothing sinks an applicat…
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Operational & Environmental Considerations
First you needed to understand the existing activities in the area, and now you’re ready to find a site with the environmental and operatio…
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Public Health
Biotoxin and bacterial closures are a key consideration when selecting a site because they can prevent you from selling your shellfish duri…
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Finalize Your Business Plan
Congratulations! At this point you’ve done your research into markets, species, and gear and found a location with good growing conditions…
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Consider Business Structure
Just like any other company, owning an aquaculture business carries legal and financial risks. Before applying for a lease, it’s wise to es…
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Apply For Your Site
The last initial step for starting a sea farm is to apply for a lease or LPA. The application process can seem intimidating, but it’s all i…
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![A man stands next to a body of water while holding a net full of shellfish.]()
Case study
Being a Good Aquaculture Lease Applicant
Tips on getting through the lease hearing process from a veteran oyster farm owner.
03 – Running Your Farm
Plan ahead — ensure seed and gear arrive in time for peak growing season. Keep detailed records of the location, density, and growth rates of your crops.
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Seasonality
Sea farming is seasonal, and unless you get lucky, the timing of your lease being granted is unlikely to align perfectly with seasonal need…
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Seed
You need to plan ahead to make sure seed stock is available for the growing season. Without a lead on seed, you could end up missing the en…
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Gear & Husbandry
At this point, you already have a plan for the gear type, layout, and installation – since this is required information to get a lease or L…
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Production Planning & Tracking
Optimizing production, which should be your goal, means looking across several functional aspects of your farm to find efficiencies. Close …
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Biosecurity
Farmers should be vigilant to avoid introducing pests and diseases to both their own farm and other sites. Pests can lower product quality,…
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On-the-Water Safety
Whether your business has employees or you run the show solo, on-the-water safety should be priority #1. Weather, tides, currents, and othe…
04 – Running Your Business
Don't neglect the business side of running a sea farm. Consider insurance options, business structure, compliance with DMR rules, and employment.
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Regulatory Compliance
In order to legally operate a sea farm, several important state and federal requirements need to be met and additional permits beyond a lea…
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Business Development
Having your lease or LPA, with defined boundaries and gear layout, will allow you to estimate your production volume and finalize your init…
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Financial Management
Financial management is about forecasting costs and revenues over time to enable profitability and understand the financial health of your …
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Employment
Employees are necessary to maintain best practices at commercial scale. As the heart of your business, they maintain essential daily tasks …
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Insurance
As with any business, owning and operating a sea farm carries certain risks. Maintaining the right type of insurance is critical because it…
05 – Selling Your Product
Crops reaching market size is a long-awaited reward! Planning and forecasting efforts culminate here — creating sales and profits for some, and leaving those without a plan with product they can't sell.
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Branding & Marketing
Branding is your company's identity — it's how you present your products, company values, and business story to the world. Marketing is a s…
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Sales
The process for making a sale begins well before any product changes hands. Developing a sales strategy, cultivating interest from buyers, …
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Selling Licenses & Certifications
Make sure you understand the different types of licenses and certificates that the state of Maine offers. This is the last step to selling …
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![A man wearing a kitchen apron stands in a restaurant.]()
Case study
Why Restaurants May or May Not Buy Certain Oysters
Direct from the chef's mouth — what he's looking for when buying an oyster for his restaurant.
What's Next
Looking for financial resources?
Whether you need funding to start your business, hire employees, or purchase new gear, finding the right financial resources can be confusing. We lay out the basics – the standard sources for aquaculture business funding as well as some industry-specific resources.
Explore Funding