🔒Proposal calls for ‘keeper of the keys’ for Maine’s seafood supply chain

A logistics coordination hub is being proposed to manage what is now an informal, relationship-driven system for seafood transportation, cold storage and short-term logistics across the supply chain.

The proposal was one of several recommendations recently released by Seafood Economic Accelerator for Maine, or SEA Maine, with an eye toward strengthening Maine’s seafood industry.

SEA Maine, an industry-led initiative based in Augusta, said the aim of its recommendations is to improve infrastructure, enhance systemic coordination and investment, build climate resilience and better position the sector for growth.

“This report provides a clear portrait of inefficiencies and gaps that hamper economic expansion and the success of our industry,” said Togue Brawn, co-chair of SEA Maine’s steering committee and owner of Bath scallop distributor Downeast Dayboat.

Logistics coordination

The idea for a logistics coordination hub, as a cooperative of businesses and organizations, was prompted by stakeholders who said the single biggest missing element in Maine’s seafood logistics was “a keeper of the keys — someone who knows who has capacity, who needs capacity, and how to match the two quickly and equitably,” according to a news release.

Rather than replacing existing networks, the hub would add visibility and reliability through structured communication channels. Participating businesses could notify the hub of available truck space, pallet space, ice or temporary cold storage; others could submit needs. A hub coordinator would match capacity with demand, building a repository of real-time information.

Cooperative capital

Other recommendations included launching a cold-chain network and creating a cooperative capital pool.

With an eye toward reducing the risk of product loss, a cold-chain network would provide access to cold storage and ice-making through cooperative or nonprofit ownership to manage certification, maintenance and fee structures. Participating producers could rent capacity as needed, gaining access without incurring the heavy capital burden of individual ownership.

A cooperative capital pool could address financing barriers that prevent small and mid-sized operators from investing in shared infrastructure. That could allow for funds to be distributed along the coast, including rural and emerging aquaculture communities where operators face steep capital requirements, limited loan access and high energy costs. The capital pool would enable shared investment, shared risk and shared benefit.

Ultimately, the pool is envisioned as a way to expand production in Maine, increase year-round processing capacity, improve infrastructure utilization through cooperative sharing, reduce financial risk for small producers and help secure local jobs while boosting economic activity.

Implementation of the recommendations could have “substantial economic impact, especially in Maine's coastal and seafood-dependent communities where supply chains are often fragmented, seasonal and infrastructure-intensive,” said Emily Lane, a seafood and aquaculture specialist with the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs.

Complex sector

The recommendations were based on more than 300 Maine-specific and industry reports, similar research from other regions of the world, a comparative analysis, a steering committee “ideation survey” and 40 informal interviews across the seafood supply chain.

The assessment focused on structural limits to growth, technical opportunities and cultural factors shaping collaboration. Among the factors studied were cold storage, processing, transportation, regulatory, cultural and financial barriers.

SEA Maine’s steering committee — comprising approximately 35 members from industry, associations, nonprofits, academia, state agencies and Maine's federal delegation — will use the recommendations to guide future direction, opportunities and work in the sector.

“The emphasis on coordination and efficiency, adaptability, energy savings and shared economic risks and benefits is a forward-looking approach that acknowledges both the challenges and opportunities facing Maine’s complex yet vital marine resources sector,” said Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources.

Financial assistance for the work was awarded in 2024 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.

SEA Maine is administering a Seafood Infrastructure Adaptation Fund through the same source of funding. The fund makes available $1 million for energy efficiency conversions and supply chain adaptations to seafood infrastructure in public facilities. The goal is to establish greater resilience to climate-related shocks and Maine’s seafood economy.