Seaweed industry stays afloat, seeks growth during the pandemic
12/19/20 – “The coronavirus pandemic has been a struggle for much of American seafood, but at least one sector of the industry has found a way to grow during the crisis — the seaweed business. Seaweed harvesting and farming, based largely along the rocky and chilly coast of Maine, has grown for several years as interest in foods and nutritional products made with the gooey marine algae have risen in popularity. Like many pieces of the seafood industry, seaweed is highly dependent on the restaurant sector, which made the pandemic a potentially major setback.”
Maine Aquaculture Association Awarded $12K from Buoy Maine Program for Oyster Trail Project
12/8/20 – “Buoy Maine fosters innovation and entrepreneurship to support Maine’s working waterfront and coastal communities. This effort, designed in collaboration with concerned coastal community organizations, focuses on strengthening coastal/marine seafood and tourism related industries, highlighting the Maine Brand and experience, building resiliency, and helping Maine’s coastal businesses redefine operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Give Maine Seafood: A New Gift-Giving Guide for Every Occasion
12/7/20 – “This holiday season, four local organizations and businesses partner to promote Maine seafood. The Maine Aquaculture Association, Downeast Dayboat, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, and Aragosta Mama have partnered to create GiveMaineSeafood.com, a gift-giving guide that helps shoppers find and ship Maine seafood and related gifts for loved ones. With retail seafood sales on the rise, and increased interest among consumers to shop local and support small businesses, this holiday season is the perfect opportunity for consumers to buy and eat more Maine seafood.”
COVID-19 HELP FOR MAINE OYSTER FARMERS
11/21/20 – “It seems like just about every industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and that includes oyster farms. But thanks to the support of an oyster aquaculture restoration program, about 15 farms in Maine will be getting some relief including Ferda Farms out of Brunswick. On Saturday, Ferda Farms sold more than 18,000 oysters to The Nature Conservancy for $10,000.”
AQUACULTURE GROUP RELEASES FIRST BENCHMARKING REPORT, BUSINESS PLANNING TOOLS
11/5/20 – “The Maine Aquaculture Association has released what it calls a first-of-its-kind financial benchmarking report for the industry, as well as new planning and risk management tools for aquaculture businesses. The new resources and two new hires represent a concentrated effort to grow Maine’s aquaculture sector, the association’s executive director, Sebastian Belle, told Mainebiz. “For many years we’ve been resource-constrained,” Belle said.
Aquaculture growth means job opportunities in Maine
11/1/20 – “Aquaculture, the raising of fish, seaweed and other aquatic organisms in our waters, is the fastest growing food sector in the world. In Maine, aquaculture is a key part of the solution to support our working waterfronts and bring economic benefits to those impacted by the decline in wild fisheries. I’m encouraged by the number of fishermen that are turning to aquaculture for an income. We are beginning to see a small, yet steady increase in growth in the aquaculture industry from wild fisheries license holders.”
HOW AQUACULTURE’S PIVOT TO DIRECT DISTRIBUTION COULD GO BEYOND PANDEMIC
10/27/20 – “Like wild fisheries, Maine’s aquaculture industry felt an enormous impact early in the pandemic with the shutdown of restaurants, the industry’s largest market and the setting where most seafood, wild and farmed, is consumed. Mainebiz asked Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association in Hallowell, how the industry is faring now and what the outlook is going forward.”
BIGELOW LABORATORY DEVELOPING TEST TO FIND TOXINS IN MUSSELS
10/27/20 – “A Maine lab is set to receive about $900,000 in federal funding to research a new method of detecting potentially harmful toxins in mussels. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Center for Coastal Ocean Science awarded the money to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Maine Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent, said the project will allow Bigelow’s scientist to research a three-in-one test for toxins that accumulate in mussels.”
MAINE’S DARLING MARINE CENTER WATERFRONT PROJECT UNDER WAY
10/27/20 – “University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dana Gartzke recently visited Walpole, Maine, for a tour of the Darling Marine Center (DMC), a waterfront infrastructure improvement project that began earlier this year. The tour, led by DMC Director Heather Leslie and DMC Laboratory Manager Timothy Miller, supplied an overview of the project, which will upgrade the center’s flowing seawater system, renovate its oldest seawater laboratory and replace its 50-year-old main pier.”
Pandemic Pivot: Maine’s seafood community remains innovative and resilient
10/26/20 – “The Pandemic Pivot program is dedicated to sharing the experiences of Mainers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they have overcome these situations. This week’s event was organized by Keri Kaczor and hosted by the Alliance for Maine’s Marine Economy on Oct. 20, and involved a discussion between Diane Tilton, the executive director of the Downeast Institute, and Boe Marsh, the owner and founder of Community Shellfish LLC. These leaders in Maine’s marine community provided insights into the workings of the Maine seafood industry and the potential future of the industry following COVID-19.”