Next up for Maine aquaculture training — community engagement
Photo / Courtesy, Maine Aquaculture Association
The Maine Aquaculture Association appointed Kat Lipp as community engagement coordinator to develop “social license” training for growers. Here, Lipp works at Mere Point Oyster Co. in Brunswick.
Maine’s aquaculture industry has been growing at a slow but steady pace over the past 20 years, with increasing enrollment in training for "hard" skills" like building a shellfish farm and boat handling.
Now the Maine Aquaculture Association has its eye on the "soft" skills of communication and community engagement. The goal is to help sea farmers navigate the regulatory process while fostering community trust.
The association — established in 1978 as a nonprofit trade association that advocates for Maine’s finfish, shellfish and sea vegetable farmers — last week announced the appointment of Katherine "Kat" Lipp to the role of community engagement coordinator.
The group considers the role vital to efforts aimed at helping farmers become “successful business owners, stewards of the environment and valued additions to the working waterfront,” according to a news release.
The position was funded by FocusMaine and World Wildlife Fund.
Lipp will focus on establishing a coastal ambassador network and developing intensive social license training for growers.
“Social license” is defined as the informal, ongoing support granted by the community for a project, which remains a crucial aspect of Maine’s aquaculture leasing system, the association said.
Obtaining that support “requires farmers to lay significant community engagement groundwork to receive approval from the Department of Marine Resources and operate on their sites," the association said.
The role was created in response to what the association said is “misinformation about aquaculture” that “can create division on the waterfront and threaten the livelihoods of hardworking sea farmers and commercial fishermen.”
As aquaculture grows, it’s important for the industry to provide accurate information, said Trixie Betz, the association’s outreach and development specialist.
“These farmers contribute immensely to working waterfronts and local economies, providing jobs and producing food sustainably,” said Betz.
Earning trust
Before moving to Maine, Lipp worked in Alaska fisheries, including setting nets for sockeye salmon and working as a fisheries observer. She was operations manager at Salmon Sisters, a wild fisheries company in Alaska.
Lipp recently completed the Maine Aquaculture Association’s aquaculture apprenticeship program — which launched in 2022 as the first of its kind in the nation. Through the apprenticeship, Lipp completed over 2,000 hours of hands-on training at Mere Point Oyster Co. in Brunswick and 144 hours of technical coursework through Southern Maine Community College.
“I am confident that with my background in both aquaculture and wild fisheries, I will be able to effectively foster strategic relationships in Maine,” said Lipp.
The association said that its recent survey showed “strong support” for aquaculture in Maine, with 83% of residents familiar with the sector backing its growth.
“The survey highlights a significant correlation between the understanding of aquaculture and higher support for the industry, underscoring the importance of education and access to accurate information,” the association said.
To improve that correlation, the ambassador program “aims to engage growers, fishermen and coastal residents in discussion about aquaculture,” the association said.
According to Fiona de Koning from Hollander & De Koning Mussels, the program’s inception “has filled a gap in communication and mentoring opportunities at the community level.”
Alicia Gaiero, owner of Nauti Sisters Sea Farm in Yarmouth, said it’s important for growers to earn the trust of communities where they farm.
“For young oyster growers, this program is essential as we expand our businesses,” Gaiero said. “By fostering transparency and mutual respect, we're strengthening the very fabric of our local communities.”
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