Transcript

Max Burtis: My engineering degree, super technical, prepared me well for a job in field engineering. Then I also had this oyster farm business. I think back on this foundation that we developed at UMaine at the Foster Center is how to run a business. Being able to go to the Foster Center, get one-on-one personal business advice every week, it really complemented things.

Aiden Mcenany: There’s just, say, a hub at the school that pairs students with these internships, get you these opportunities that I’d never even thought about the aquaculture industry. I think it’s good to be able to apply what I’ve learned through here to help keep our industries alive.

Matt Czuchra: Growing up in Maine, I took it for granted for several years. I went to school outside of Maine for a while. Then when you come back, you realize how special Maine truly is. I wanted to find a way to stay here and work, and I especially wanted to work on the water. That’s something that’s tough in Maine right now.

The aquaculture industry has provided jobs for younger people. It’s an industry that’s let people stay in Maine and work on the water.

Max Burtis: I think aquaculture is a way that you can have some stability, and you can count on there being a future to protect this way of life.

Kelly Morgan: This kind of transition that’s happening here in Maine is a precedent for what we’re going to see happen in the rest of the country. It is a really fun intersection of tradition and new ideas, I think.