Mainebiz cites Morse, ARI report in article on proposed oyster farms
Mainebiz cited the 2017 Maine Aquaculture Economic Impact Report published by the University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute in an article about the Maine Department of Marine Resources denying a request by the town of Kittery to delay its decision on a proposed expansion of an oyster farm. In September, an application in Brunswick for a 40-acre oyster farm in Maquoit Bay also raised concerns among nearby residents, according to the article. Oysters are one of Maine’s top three farmed species (along with Atlantic salmon and blue mussels), according to the Maine Aquaculture Economic Impact Report. Maine has 65 to 80 oyster farms, the article states. Although Maine’s oyster industry is growing, it’s relatively small, Dana Morse, an extension associate with Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine Cooperative Extension, told Mainebiz in 2017. Massachusetts, for example, has about 350 distinct oyster farming companies, Mainebiz reported.