This four-month training program covers the basics of shellfish and seaweed farming and is designed support people interested in starting their own aquaculture businesses in Maine.
AQSW 1.0 provides an introduction to cultivation of commercially valuable Maine species including oysters, mussels, scallops, and kelp. The course consists of 15 virtual classes and 5 in-person field trips. Classes are held weekly on Tuesdays from 6-8 pm beginning January 21st and continuing to April 29th. Participants will learn from leading industry, regulatory, and scientific experts on fundamental topics including:
In addition to providing classroom and hands-on learning opportunities, participation in this class also involves receiving 10 hours of business mentorship, free.
This 2025 Entry-Level Aquaculture Training Course 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.
Click below to find out more about this workshop series.
This course is being offered for people living in Maine who plan to start an aquaculture business. Given that this is an entry-level course, the target audience is new and very early farmers. Farmers with existing, revenue-producing businesses will be better suited to AQSW 2.0 which will run in the fall of 2025. We encourage applications for this program from:
The course is free of charge to all participants and runs from January 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 of the classes.
Participants in this workshop series will:
Applications are open until January 3rd, 2025 or until the course fills. Please reach out with any questions.
This course consists of 15 virtual classes and 5 in-person field trips. Classes are held weekly on Tuesdays from 6-8 pm beginning January 21st and continuing to April 29th. Field trips will take place after January 21st and prior to August 1st, with specific dates to be determined. Learn more below.
January 21st, 6-8PM
Welcome to AQSW! We’ll start off with introductions, a course survey, and review course expectations. Next, we’ll dive into an intro to aquaculture, stewardship, and responsibilities.
January 28th, 6-8PM
Explore key factors to consider in selecting a farm site including access, multiple use, exposure and weather, physical and biological characteristics, climate-related impacts, and social dimensions. We’ll also discuss monitoring and assessment equipment and methods.
February 4th, 6-8 PM
Discover how to lease or license an aquaculture site in Maine waters. We’ll cover allocation of rights, leasing mechanisms, the lease process, performance bonding, and more. Plus, we’ll discuss do’s and don’t with experts and guest speakers from Maine DMR.
February 11th, 6-8 PM
Interacting with the community is a key part of being an aquaculture farmer. In this class we'll discuss some strategies for effectively communicating with people about your farm and for being a good neighbor to other members of the waterfront community.
February 18th, 6-8PM
Learn life cycles, basic anatomy, links between these species and the environment, species seasonality, major predators, and food and nutrient requirements for bivalves.
February 25th, 6-8PM
Learn life cycles, basic anatomy, links between these species and the environment, species seasonality, major predators, and food and nutrient requirements for seaweeds.
March 4th, 6-8PM
A deep dive into sourcing shellfish seed! We’ll explore seed collection and sourcing, nurseries, and upwellers of all sorts for oysters, mussels, and scallops.
March 11th, 6-8PM
A whole evening of oyster production, including all sorts of grow-out strategies, farm designs, gear varieties, and processing set-ups, as well as other species specific considerations!
March 18th, 6-8PM
A whole evening of mussel production, including all sorts of grow-out strategies, farm designs, gear varieties, and processing set-ups, as well as other species specific considerations!
March 25th, 6-8PM
A whole evening of sea scallop production, including all sorts of grow-out strategies, farm designs, gear varieties, and processing set-ups, as well as other species specific considerations!
April 1st, 6-8PM
It’s kelp night! We’ll cover kelp seed sourcing, nurseries, farm designs, seasonal cultivation, harvest and handling, processing, and how to get your kelp sold! We’ll also have an interactive discussion about value added products.
April 8th, 6-8PM
Keep your consumers safe! In this public health class we’ll cover water quality and how it affects shellfish and seaweed, as well as vibrio, biotoxins, and safe shellfish and seaweed handling.
April 15th, 6-8PM
Explore critical aspects of reducing risk on your farm and farms around you. Learn the basics of shellfish disease and pathology, transmission and prevention, and biosecurity measures.
April 22nd, 6-8PM
Develop your business plan! This class will provide helpful tools and explore why to write a business plan, what’s in one, and how to determine your costs and income, including start-up vs. continuing operations costs and calculating the value of your time.
April 29th, 6-8PM
Determine how to market and sell your products. We’ll cover the difference between sales and marketing, competitors and competitive advantage, transportation, distribution, marketing plans, and low-cost tactics for small farms. We’ll also discuss state licensing for dealers.
Field trips will give participants opportunities for hands-on engagement with a variety of aquaculture systems. Field trips will be scheduled between January 21st (course start date) and June 1st.
Applications are open until January 3rd, 2025 or until the course fills. Please reach out with any questions.
Executive 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!
Innovator in Residence, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center
(he/him)
Program Expertise:
Site selection, shellfish biology and husbandry, equipment and gear, new species
Project Manager,
Maine Aquaculture Association
(he/him)
Christian's work focuses on applied research and assisting growers with aquaculture business and production planning, including financial benchmarking, risk management, and crop insurance.
Workforce & Education Manager,
Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (she/her)
Maya manages projects related to aquaculture workforce and education at MAIC. She prioritizes accessibility of aquaculture education in her work.
Workforce & Education Assistant, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (he/him)
Antoine is a recent graduate from the University of New England (UNE) who works on education and workforce projects at MAIC.
Applications are open until January 3rd, 2025 or until the course fills. Please reach out with any questions.
We'd love to chat! Drop us a line on our
contact page or reach out to us directly at aquacultureinsharedwaters@gmail.com
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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Photo Credits: Joseph Conroy III; Jaclyn Robidoux and Kathy Tenga-Gonzalez (Maine Sea Grant)
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