Owner of Bremen lobster co-op expanding into aquaculture
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Oyster farming is attracting newcomers, especially commercial fishermen who are attracted to the supplemental income. A recent example: the new owner of the Bremen Lobster Pound Co-op is reintroducing aquaculture there, including oysters.
The new owner of the Bremen Lobster Pound Co-op is reintroducing aquaculture to the co-op’s traditional function of being a base of operations for local lobstermen and commercial fishermen.
The Lincoln County News reported that Boe Marsh, owner of Community Shellfish LLC, a dealer in lobsters, clams and shrimp, is the new co-op’s new owner after a merger between the fishermen’s association and his company.
He told the newspaper that he is exploring converting the co-op’s two lobster pounds into an aquaculture operation for growing and harvesting oysters and clams.
Marsh said the co-op has obtained a one-year limited-purpose aquaculture lease from the Maine Department of Marine Resources for four 40-by-40-foot plots and also applied to the DMR for an experimental three-year lease covering four acres.
“These pounds are a big laboratory. I want to spur research and development in aquaculture,” Marsh told the newspaper, noting the reconverted lobster pounds have the potential to grow 600,000 to 900,000 oysters in addition to clams.
Marsh said the plan is to refurbish the pounds, taking advantage of the inlet’s nutrition-rich waters, where Muscongus Bay meets the Medomak River, a positive factor for shellfish growth amplified by the area’s tidal surge.
Oysters are a growing aquaculture sector in Maine. According to Maine Sea Grant, in recent years, oyster culture has broadened throughout the state, and has attracted new entrants, many of whom come from marine trades, especially commercial fishermen.
According to the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, about 65 oyster farms in Maine extend from York to Washington counties, raising tens of millions of oysters per year for the white tablecloth market.
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