Aquaculture in Shared Waters

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Aquaculture in Shared Waters

Aquaculture in Shared WatersAquaculture in Shared WatersAquaculture in Shared Waters
Home
Aquaculture Boot Camp
2024 Women in Aquaculture
About
Courses
Contact
More
  • Home
  • Aquaculture Boot Camp
  • 2024 Women in Aquaculture
  • About
  • Courses
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Aquaculture Boot Camp
  • 2024 Women in Aquaculture
  • About
  • Courses
  • Contact

2024 Women in Aquaculture Series

About

The 2024 Women in Aquaculture Series builds skills and centers community among active and aspiring aquaculturists in Maine who self-identify as women or nonbinary.  


The series focuses on targeted skills for women on the water and is designed around emerging social science research on the training needs for women in aquaculture. Workshops will be taught and led by women and will focus on key skills including: seamanship and maritime skills, gear and labor practices for different bodies, self-advocacy and safety, community relations and telling your story, business financing, and more. In addition to skill building, the series focuses on knowledge-sharing and co-learning to empower participants and build community for women and nonbinary aquaculturists. The series is free of charge to participants and includes both virtual and in-person components.


This 2024 Women in Aquaculture Series is hosted in partnership with the Aquaculture in Shared Waters training program, which has helped people start and improve their aquaculture businesses in Maine for over a decade. By empowering underrepresented aquaculturists to build skills and meaningful connections, the workshop series aims to foster greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in Maine’s aquaculture sector.

February - May 2024

2024 series details

Click below to find out out more about this workshop series.

These workshops are being offered for self-identifying women and nonbinary folks in Maine's aquaculture industry. Direct aquaculture experience is not required; we anticipate accepting students across a wide range of experience and backgrounds. We have encouraged applications from: 


  • Alumnae of previous Aquaculture in Shared Waters offerings, whether currently active in the industry or seeking to enter
  • Those who operate or work for aquaculture businesses
  • Those with a working waterfront background who are interested in getting more involved in aquaculture

The course is free of charge to all participants and runs from February to May 2024. You must be a full-time resident of Maine to participate. In order to encourage community-building and connections within the student cohort, we will prioritize applicants who can commit to attending all or most of the workshops.

Participants in this workshop series will:


  • Build skills in seamanship, business, safety, marketing, and more
  • Network and connect with women instructors, experts, and other aquaculturists
  • Be empowered to share experiences and learnings with their student cohort
  • Strengthen diversity, equity, inclusion and access in Maine’s aquaculture industry

Applications are now closed

Applications closed 1/26/24. We will be reaching out to applicants by the end of January and look forward to offering this series!

2024 workshop Information and dates

This skill-building series consists of six workshops, uniquely targeted for women on the water. Virtual workshops are 2 hours, and will be held via Zoom. In-person workshops are day-long deep dives, each with two dates and locations available for participants to choose from. Learn more below.

February 13th, 5-7PM

Come meet your fellow participants, learn what to expect from the course, and take a deep dive into the research base around gender and aquaculture while connecting with experts studying or advocating for women and nonbinary aquaculturists.

February 27th, 5-7PM

Participate in an interactive workshop designed to help you think through how to build trust and understanding of your aquaculture operations in your own community; share your own experiences and walk away with a better understanding of how gender plays a role in working waterfront culture and interactions.

Option 1: March 13th (Brunswick Area), 9AM-4PM

Option 2: March 20th (Ellsworth Area), 9AM-4PM

Aquaculture is physical work. Half of this workshop will focus on farm and labor ergonomics; you'll learn techniques and tools that promote strength and mobility on and off the water. Hear from experts and come prepared to share and troubleshoot your own challenges and successes in adapting gear for different bodies and needs. The other half of this workshop will focus on emotional well-being and bias intervention. Through direct training and some experience-sharing and role playing, you'll leave more prepared to handle difficult interactions on and around the water or at work.

April 2nd, 5-7PM

Take a deep dive into the realities of being a woman in business; hear from other women about how they have financed their own aquaculture operations; learn about and connect with opportunities, resources, and organizations in Maine specifically supporting women and nonbinary folks in business.

Option 1: April 29th (Jonesport), 9AM-4PM

Option 2: April 30th (Damariscotta), 9AM-4PM

Want to brush up on some maritime skills? This workshop will cover both trailering and knot-tying (learning new knots and practicing in various applications). Bring your trailering experiences, farm stories, knot issues and prepare to learn and share your own skills in this interactive, hands-on workshop.

May 14th, 5-7PM

Wrap up the workshop series with this final module designed to help you take your aquaculture marketing and storytelling to the next level. Hear from women growers about lessons learned in promoting their businesses and gain some valuable skills for simple, low-cost ways to share your story with your customers and communities. Celebrate a successful series with your student cohort!

2024 series Directors

Annie Fagan

Anne Langston-Noll

Jaclyn Robidoux

Marine Extension Associate,

Maine Sea Grant 

(she/her)


Annie’s background in applied research, outdoor education, and shellfish husbandry brought her to aquaculture. She is a USCG licensed captain based at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole. Her favorite fancy oyster topping is a blueberry mignonette.

Jaclyn Robidoux

Anne Langston-Noll

Jaclyn Robidoux

Marine Extension Associate,

 Maine Sea Grant

(she/her)


Jaclyn (or Jax!) is a seaweed specialist who works directly with farmers and folks on the water to develop new solutions for seaweed farming in Maine and the U.S. Jaclyn is based in Portland, Maine, and her favorite way to eat kelp is seaweed salad on top of hot dogs.



Anne Langston-Noll

Anne Langston-Noll

Anne Langston-Noll

Associate Director, Maine 

Aquaculture Innovation Center (she/her)


Anne is an aquaculture researcher and project manager, an oyster farmer, and a marine educator based in Orland, Maine. Her career in aquaculture has brought her around the world, from the coasts of Scotland to Maine. She loves sharing oysters with farm visitors!


Partner Organizations

Logo for Maine Sea Grant with a bird in flight
Logo for the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center with a fish, oyster, and piece of kelp
Logo for the Maine Aquaculture Association with two hands opening to fish, oyster, and seaweed
Logo for Coastal Enterprises Inc, a red rectangle with the letters CEI in the middle
Logo for the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences

The 2024 SERIES IS FUNDED BY THE MAINE AQUACulture hub

Circular logo that says Maine Aquaculture Hub and circular logo that says NOAA

Applications are cloSed

Applications close: 1/26/2024. Please reach out with any questions.

Questions about this series?

Interested in other Trainings?

Interested in other Trainings?

We'd love to chat! Drop us a line on our 

contact page or reach out to us directly at aquacultureinsharedwaters@gmail.com

Contact us

Interested in other Trainings?

Interested in other Trainings?

Interested in other Trainings?

Aquaculture in Shared Waters offers regular trainings for folks interested in starting or expanding aquaculture farms. Join our interested parties list to receive info about future courses.

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Copyright © 2024 Aquaculture in Shared Waters Training Program - All Rights Reserved.  

Photo Credits: Joseph Conroy III;  Jaclyn Robidoux and Kathy Tenga-Gonzalez (Maine Sea Grant)

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