Aquaculture 2025

The next generation of aquaculture

BY HANK GARFIELD Mayzie Corman may not have realized it at the time, but growing up on an apple farm and then moving to a Maine island provided the perfect foundation for a career in aquaculture. Corman, 27, is a freelance farm hand and nursery technician…

A look back at Maine’s aquaculture history

BY HANK GARFIELD Maine historical novelist Kenneth Roberts (1885-1957) wrote of a time when lobsters were so plentiful along the Maine Coast that you could walk along the shore at low tide and find them among the seaweed covering the rocks in the intertidal zone. Today,…

UNE students producing nutritious seaweed snack bars

BY WANDA CURTIS University of New England students are engaged in an exciting project which involves the production and marketing of seaweed (kelp) snack bars. The cranberry-almond-kelp bars were first created and marketed by the former owners of the SeaMade Seaweed Company in 2016. Last year,…

The future of Maine aquaculture

BY JULIA BAYLY Since gaining a foothold in the state a half century ago, Maine’s aquaculture industry has been on an upward trajectory. Based on economic and other key indicators, it’s showing no signs of slowing down in meeting ever-changing demands. More recently, those in the…

Maine Farmed Seafood Coalition – helping aquaculture grow

COURTESY OF MAINE FARMED SEAFOOD COALITION In March of 2025, the Maine Farmed Seafood Coalition (MFSC), was launched to support the Maine farmed seafood sector. Today the MFSC has over 35 companies, associations, and individuals working together to tell the compelling story of Maine farmed seafood…

Blazing the trail: Aquaculture, tourism, and Maine’s Future

COURTESY OF MAINE AQUACULTURE ASSOCIATION Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or an oyster bed), you likely saw that the Maine Oyster Trail was recently featured in the New York Times, reaching over 100,000 readers in a single week. Created in partnership with Maine Sea…

Gaining hands-on aquaculture experience

COURTESY OF EDUCATE MAINE It’s no secret that aquaculture is a growing industry in Maine – oysters, kelp, and other shellfish are showing up on menus and grocery store shelves across the state and beyond. But beyond tasting local oysters or taking a farm tour, how…

‘Kelping’ Maine teachers discover aquaculture

COURTESY OF THE MAINE AQUACULTURE INNOVATION CENTER Take two iconic, cherished classics of Maine’s children’s literature: Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White, and One Morning in Maine, by Robert McCluskey. The first unfolds on a farm while the second captures the coastal life of a young…

Umaine alumnus scallop farm featured in Emmy-nominated documentary

COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE A scallop farm based in Belfast and co-owned by University of Maine alumnus Struan Coleman was featured in the PBS documentary “Hope in the Water.” Coleman received his master’s in marine policy from UMaine in 2021, during which time he…

The future is now: Salmon aquaculture embraces precision farming

COURTESY OF COOKE USA From afar, the series of 100-meter rings that constitute an Atlantic salmon farm site in the Gulf of Maine appear unchanged since the transition from steel cages to high-density polyethylene pens in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But that couldn’t be…

Local needs, global connections

Maine’s Sea Grant’s role in the seafood industry COURTESY OF MAINE SEA GRANT On the coast of Maine, whether you’re munching on lobster, haddock, or a seaweed salad, you’re supporting the time-honored traditions of those who make their living from the sea. Maine’s seafood community is…

Choose a career in Mariculture

COURTESY OF MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY Pursuing a career in Maine’s mariculture industry is an excellent choice due to the state’s abundant natural resources and commitment to sustainable practices. Maine’s coastal waters are perfect for cultivating high-demand seafood such as shellfish and seaweed, which are increasingly sought…