COURTESY OF MAINE SEA GRANT
Co-authored by Hugh Cowperthwaite, Senior Program Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture at CEI & Dana Morse, Senior Extension Program Manager, Aquaculture Lead Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine Cooperative Extension Darling Marine Center
Maine’s wild fisheries and its burgeoning aquaculture sector are at a pivotal moment, grappling with the unprecedented challenges posed by climate change. To ensure the survival and prosperity of Maine’s waterfront communities, adapting and evolving these industries is not just an option—it’s a necessity. One of the most effective strategies to drive industry growth is through “technology transfer.” For Maine aquaculture, this means learning about innovative species, resources, and cultural practices from around the globe and integrating these insights into local practices.
Maine has leveraged technology transfers with great success in recent years. The most promising example was in 1999, when ten Mainers visited Aomori, Japan to learn about their farmed scallop industry. The lasting impact of that trip has been an increased scallop resource through spat (seed) collection, which protects the seed from predators before releasing it into the wild. This initiative laid the groundwork for Maine’s flourishing farmed scallop industry, sparking numerous group trips to Aomori and Hokkaido, and welcoming Japanese visitors to Maine. These exchanges have led to the establishment of several commercial scallop farm businesses in Maine, including PenBay Farmed Scallops and Vertical Bay.
“By spending time in other states and countries, our hope is to gain first-hand experience meeting with growers, wild harvesters, processors to learn how shellfish and kelp is grown, harvested, and made into various products in order to continue our work in Maine diversifying Maine’s coastal economy,” says Hugh Cowperthwaite, Senior Program Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture at CEI.
Together with Dana Morse, Senior Extension Program Manager, Aquaculture Lead Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine Cooperative Extension Darling Marine Center, Cowperthwaite is committed to introducing Maine’s aquaculture industry to new species, technologies, culture techniques, and equipment. They also focus on market development and culinary uses for emerging species of shellfish and kelp.
“Many countries utilize farmed and wild seafood in their cuisine. When we make these trips we immerse ourselves in the local culture and meet with chefs, fishermen, growers, processors, retailers, restaurateurs, equipment manufacturers, government officials, and scientists. This gives us a broad lens of what’s possible and often opens doors. We always welcome reciprocal visitors to Maine to share our industries with guests from other parts of the world,” says Morse.
When scouting opportunities for technology transfer, it’s crucial to find climates and seasonalities similar to Maine, rooted in resource-based economies. Successful recent trips include studying the kelp industry in South Korea (18 participants in 2023), the squid fishery in Rhode Island (3 participants in 2023), culinary uses of scallops in Northern France (10 participants in 2024), the kelp industry in Hokkaido (15 participants in 2024), and farmed scallops and equipment in Atlantic Canada (5 participants in 2024).
Networking at international conferences and seafood shows also prove valuable opportunities to explore more prospects.
As Maine’s fisheries and aquaculture sector navigate these transformative times, we must actively seek out and implement strategies that will sustain and support the hardworking communities at the heart of our waterfronts. Technology transfer is one of the fastest ways to seed success, ensuring the resilience and prosperity of Maine’s working waterfronts for generations to come.
Aquaculture AND maine marine living resources
