UMaine cited in Mainebiz article on oyster farming

Research and faculty from the University of Maine were included in a Mainebiz article about the state’s growing oyster farming industry. Oysters are one of Maine’s top three farmed species (along with Atlantic salmon and blue mussels), according to the 2017 Maine Aquaculture Economic Impact Report, published by the UMaine Aquaculture Research Institute. Maine has 65 to 80 oyster farms, the article states. Modern shellfish aquaculture in Maine started at UMaine’s Darling Marine Center in Walpole in the 1970s, when researcher Herb Hidu established a program focusing on the cultivation of blue mussels and oysters. His efforts led to many of his graduate students founding farms on the Damariscotta River, the article states. Even though the state’s oyster industry is growing, it is still relatively small, according to Dana Morse, an ​aquaculture research​er ​with Maine Sea Grant. Most of Maine’s production centers on the Damariscotta, Morse said, but the geographic scope is expanding. The article also mentioned Maine Sea Grant’s work to develop a paper map to complement its evolving oyster trail website.