Maine Aquaculture Hub invests over $200K in projects to advance innovation
Courtesy / Jacqueline Clarke
Oyster cages are seen here at Butterfield Shellfish Co. oyster farm in Casco Bay. The farm received a grant to test a device that mechanically flips oyster bags.
The Maine Aquaculture Hub is awarding $216,000 in funding to support five projects seeking to strengthen the aquaculture industry in Maine.
Recipients of the Maine Aquaculture Hub awards include industry members, sea farmers and companies that provide goods and services to sea farmers. Awardees will be using funds to address barriers to the industry, according to a news release.
Maintaining clean equipment, for example, is an imperative yet labor-intensive job for successful shellfish aquaculture operations. Buildup of unwanted marine organisms, called biofouling, on the equipment or the shellfish can hinder growth, restrict the flow of water, lead to shellfish death, and result in lost revenue.
Automated cleaning
Two funded projects, from Butterfield Shellfish and Maine Aquaculture Co-op, will test new technology to automate the cleaning process.
Keith Butterfield of Butterfield Shellfish, an oyster farm off Moshier Island in Casco Bay, will test a device that mechanically flips oyster bags.
Farm-raised oysters, valued at $9.6 million in 2019, represent a large part of Maine’s aquaculture industry.
“I know that this new mechanization technology will be transformative for my farm and I’m excited to prove it and then share the value with other Maine farmers,” Butterfield, a founder and partner of the company, said in the release.
Caitlin Cleaver, a Maine Aquaculture Co-op board member and University of Maine doctoral candidate, will test a sea scallop lantern net washer and determine the feasibility of sharing the machine between farmers. Sea scallops are a promising species for Maine aquaculture and can yield a high-value product. However, infrastructure for producing them in the state is currently limited.
As Maine's first aquaculture cooperative, farms are located throughout Penobscot Bay from Tenants Harbor to North Haven to Stonington.
Scallops and kelp
Nate Perry, owner Pine Point Oyster Co. in Cape Elizabeth, will develop a less expensive biotoxin testing method for roe-on scallops. Most farmers sell scallop meat only, but roe-on scallops are sold in their shell and fetch a higher price. The cost of testing can prevent farmers from expanding their production.
Peter Rahn, production manager and food safety specialist for Atlantic Sea Farms in Saco, will add a kelp blancher to increase the company’s capacity for processing kelp. The expansion will allow Atlantic Sea Farms to buy more raw material from kelp farmers across the state.
“As we continue to build capacity and innovate kelp processing and grow the U.S. market for rope-grown Maine kelp, we are better able to expand opportunities for lobstermen and help to sustainably diversify our coastal economy in the face of climate change,” said Rahn. “We see the award of this grant as more than an opportunity for Atlantic Sea Farms. It’s also an opportunity for Maine.”
Cultured seed
Robert Wood, of the Downeast Fisheries Partnership in Machias, will try to expand mussel operations and opportunities by testing cultured seed. Standard practice is for mussel farmers to use wild-recruited seed, which can be unreliable. The study will focus on blue mussels, including the golden mussel.
The project has potential to contribute to the aquaculture industry and to the long-term sustainability of Maine communities, said Wood.
Together, the projects address a variety of species and locations across the state, said Maine Aquaculture Hub Coordinator Heather Sadusky.
The hub anticipates a second request for proposals in 2021.
Aquaculture, the practice of farming aquatic plants and animals, is an $88.4 million industry in Maine, and benefits coastal communities by providing jobs, food security and economic opportunity.
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