Mount Desert Islander speaks with Morse about future of scallop farming
Mount Desert Islander spoke with Dana Morse, a University of Maine marine Extension associate with Maine Sea Grant and the Darling Marine Center, for the article “Scallop farming’s future looks bright.” Morse has been a leading proselytizer for scallop aquaculture in Maine, seeking out relatively inexpensive materials for spat (juvenile scallop) collection and grow out, and looking at issues like when and where biotoxins that affect scallops may be prevalent, the article states. Morse was a presenter at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum on March 2, which included discussion on the growing scallop farming industry and its benefits and challenges. Nearly 100 people attended the forum, almost all of whom were already involved in growing scallops or were about to be, according to the article. And nearly all of them raised their hands when Morse asked how many knew what a lantern net was (a net divided into levels to allow more space for scallops as they grow). “That wouldn’t have happened a couple of years ago,” Morse said. The Ellsworth American also published the article.