Safe & Sustainable Seafood
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the proportion of Maine workers employed in commercial fishing industries is more than ten times the national percentage. Yet Maine has lost most of its groundfish fleet and related infrastructure since 1980. Much of the seafood-related work we do is related to diversification along the working waterfront.
Maine Sea Grant’s work in this area is focused on fisheries that are managed by the state and/or communities, a scale at which our fishermen can get involved in science, monitoring, and management, and where communities can realize direct benefits from our work. Our work in aquaculture includes continued development of new culture techniques and target species, as well as marketing, industry support, and connections to consumers.
Because of the overwhelming importance of fisheries, aquaculture, and related seafood and culinary industries to the state, much of our work also addresses general fisheries, aquaculture, seafood, and marine resource management knowledge for consumers, residents, and visitors. Programming in other focus areas of ten relates to seafood as well.
Recent Activities
- Aquaculture in Shared Waters
- Deepwater lobster settlement across thermal gradients in the Gulf of Maine
- Resources for Seaweed Growers
- Seaweed Aquaculture Industry Overview
- A comparison of farmed versus wild American eel products
- Sustainable post-harvest processing and value-addition of cultured seaweed
- Alliance for Maine’s Marine Economy
- Aquaculture in Maine’s Coastal Waters (PDF)