Sebastian Belle

The Maine Aquaculture Association is a nonprofit trade organization dedicated to supporting and advancing Maine’s aquaculture industry, which includes shellfish, finfish, and sea vegetable farmers. The private company is based in Hallowell, ME. The association advocates for sustainable economic and environmental aquaculture practices at state, federal, and international levels, and provides resources such as business planning tools, financing guides, marketing reports, risk management materials, educational content, and networking opportunities. It supports its members through advocacy, public education, industry news, events, and strategic partnerships, and fosters cooperation among farms via best management practices, third-party auditing, and area management agreements. The association also offers a full-time apprenticeship program to train new aquaculture professionals.

The Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center is a statewide hub dedicated to advancing sustainable aquaculture in Maine through innovation, research, education, and industry support. The private company is based in Orono, ME. The organization fosters environmentally, economically, and socially responsible aquaculture practices that contribute to food security, community livelihoods, and ecosystem conservation. It conducts and sponsors applied research projects addressing industry challenges, such as developing hatchery protocols for scallops, monitoring environmental conditions, assessing climate impacts, and studying social aspects of aquaculture. The center maintains a research archive and collaborates with universities, farmers, industry partners, and government agencies. It supports aquaculture businesses through incubation programs, pilot-scale facilities, lab and culture spaces, access to expertise, and entrepreneurship training. The center also provides resources including funding, business planning tools, educational curricula, webinars, cooking series, and community events.

Provides early-stage capital, loans and commercialization assistance services