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.

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:

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.

An ID guide to organisms commonly found in, on, and around oyster grow bags ​and other aquaculture equipment used in the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic.

A list of current aquaculture training programs offered in Maine.

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.

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.

Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, in collaboration with The World Wildlife Fund, is on a mission to get educational resources about seaweed aquaculture into Maine’s 5th-grade classrooms. During the summer and fall of 2023, we will distribute With a Little Kelp from Our Friends– a book on the secret life of seaweed written by Mathew Bate and illustrated by Liz Rowland– to educators. The book will be accompanied by teacher resources to increase literacy about seaweed aquaculture.

This report addresses biofouling management in relation to marine aquaculture industry operations, equipment and infrastructure. It covers shellfish, finfish and seaweed operations in estuaries and seawater. It does not address freshwater aquaculture activities.

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.

This DMR page includes LPA License Applications for new LPAs, Riparian List form, Additional Information to assist in completing LPA license application forms, Sample Gear Plans and Vicinity Maps, Sample Mooring Designs, LPA Laws and Regulations, and LPA and Quiz Supporting Documents.

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 aquaculture harvest license authorizes LPA and lease holders to sell product harvested from their sites. If you are selling product from any of your aquaculture sites, you need to obtain an aquaculture harvester license.

Free online courses in macroalgae cultivation, microalgae cultivation, introduction to algae, and algae biotechnology. Created out of a partnership between academic institutions, national research laboratories, and industry leaders, ATEC’s goal is to develop novel educational programs to strengthen industry workforce capabilities, by focusing on the skills needed to support the commercialization of algal products. Through algal education, students learn practical applications of farming and biotechnology developing the skills for the next generation of algal-based jobs.

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

This flowchart visually maps out the Maine DMR Standard Lease application process.

This flowchart visually maps out the Maine DMR Experimental Lease application process.