Coastal Conversations Radio Program: The Impact of COVID-19 on Fisheries and Aquaculture
4/24/20– “Today our show is about the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Maine’s fishermen and aquaculture farmers. Like so many small businesses, marine industries have been hit hard by the pandemic. National and global seafood markets for Maine fish and shellfish have almost entirely dried up, and people are scrambling for ways to keep their businesses afloat.”
SEANET’s Legacy: The impact of interdisciplinary aquaculture research on the state of Maine
4/17/20 – “In January 2020, Maine EPSCoR’s Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 1 project, the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET), was officially completed. However, the legacy of the program will live on through the continued interdisciplinary research carried out by institutions such as the Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI), which is SEANET’s named legatee.”
‘Sea farm to table’: easy ways to prepare delicious local seafood
4/13/20 – “To encourage local seafood consumption at home, the Maine Aquaculture Association has created a series of recipes and short instructional videos as part of a new series titled “Sea Farm to Table.” The growing library of creative dishes includes a blueberry and mint smoothie using frozen Maine kelp from Atlantic Sea Farms, a company that partners with Maine lobstermen to grow kelp during the off-season.”
From the dock to doorstep during Maine’s coronavirus outbreak
3/27/20 – “Mere Point Oyster Company is trying out delivery service and is teaming up with other fishermen and businesses to offer customers a one-stop shopping experience. Oysters, clams, scallops, little necks, mussels, and other shellfish are ready to be dropped off. ‘If you’re in your house and you are locked in there you are going to be able to get food because the food producers, whether it be the farmers, or the fishermen, or the oystermen, or the shellfish farmers or the clam diggers, they are going to get you your food,’ said Devereaux. ‘[It] gives people a sense of ease during troubling times like right now.'”
Fishermen turn to direct marketing as demand for maine seafood plummets
3/26/20 – “There definitely appears to be growing interest among aquaculturists and wild harvesters alike” in directly marketing their products, DMR spokesman Jeff Nichols said. DMR worked on producing the flier together with Sea Grant, the University of Maine and NOAA Fisheries. “We will also be sharing it and building on that information in the near future,” Nichols said.
Maine Voices: Aquaculture benefits waterfront communities
1/23/20 – “Maine lobstermen and commercial fishing families have turned to aquaculture to boost revenue and diversify their businesses. According to data from the Department of Marine Resources, roughly 50 commercial lobster license holders also hold aquaculture leases, meaning that one in every six Maine aquaculturists also captains a lobster boat.”
Maine Aquaculture Association launches video to boost state’s farmers
1/20/20 – “The Maine Aquaculture Association has kicked off a new video series focused on telling the personal stories of aquatic farmers throughout the state to increase public visibility and underscore how aquaculture complements existing marine industries in coastal communities.”
