Governance in Maine’s Aquaculture Industry

Project Description

Aquaculture in Maine is a relatively new and rapidly developing industry and the governance of this industry is generally understudied. The governance system enables or constrains the behavior of actors embedded within social-ecological systems, and is a main driver of social sustainability and social carrying capacity of sustainable ecological aquaculture. Key aspects of the governance system include existing and new property rights and access rules, perceptions of actors, and conflicts between and among actors.

Stakeholder interviews with key informants conducted in 2015 revealed perceptions and experiences related to the governance system. Building on these results, researchers are adopting a mixed method, ethnographic research approach that includes participant observation and semi-structured interviews to examine opportunities and challenges related to existing and emerging governance arrangements.

One case study will focus on governance issues related to intertidal shellfish aquaculture with a particular focus on the role of property rights and privatization of the commons as stakeholder identified barriers to growth. Another case study examines the role of the aquaculture leasing and licensing system and how that shapes aquaculture growth, including an analysis of the Limited Purpose Aquaculture licenses and license holders. Another case study will be examining how NGOs are affecting aquaculture development in Maine. While much of the current literature illustrates NGOs as opposing aquaculture development, NGOs in Maine appear to be adopting a role similar to that of NGOs in other resource sectors such as forestry which include providing technical/financial support and information/education.

Results and Accomplishments

Key informant interviews were conducted in Fall 2017 regarding development of intertidal clam aquaculture. Results reveal that the two primary barriers to developing intertidal aquaculture are the current property rights system, in which riparian landowners own down to the mean low water mark and the concept of privatization of the commons amongst clam harvesters themselves. The interview protocol was revised to reflect important information conveyed by key informants and the next rounds of interviews is set to begin in June 2018 for town shellfish committees regarding soft-shell clam conservation and aquaculture efforts. Two surveys are in the design phase after being informed by interviews conducted in 2016. Surveys will be completed and distributed by September 2018.

Summary of Data Being Collected

Data	Type	Quantity	Location
Confidential interviews	Qualitative	TBD	Cobscook Bay and Casco Bay
Confidential stakeholder interviews	Qualitative	52	Coast Wide; statewide