Grower Resources

Barriers to Entry in the Northeast U.S. Aquaculture Industry

This report by the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center lists the key species, regulations and resources for each state, along with the barriers to getting started.

Best Management Practices

The BMP manual and the Excel macro-enabled template to create your own BMP document;

plus a Florida Department of Agriculture, Division of Aquaculture technical bulletin covering Aquaculture Gear Management;

plus the Aquaculture Stewardship Council's recommendations on reducing waste and promoting recycling of aquaculture gear.

Biofouling Control Strategies

This handbook from Maryland Aquaculture Extension shows how to identify and control common biofouling species in the Chesapeake Bay.

Bird Interactions with Shellfish Aquaculture

Executive Director Bob Rheault summarizes a webinar hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on issues relating to birds and aquaculture.

Certified Shippers List

Updated monthly by the FDA; searchable by state and country

Disinfecting Used Shellfish Gear

When buying used shellfish production equipment, be sure to thoroughly disinfect it before you put in the water. This reduces the risk of introducing disease or invasive species.

Employment

Helpful websites listing aquaculture jobs

European Union Trade Agreement

For the first time since 2011, U.S. producers - beginning in the states of Massachusetts and Washington - are eligible to export live, raw and processed bivalve molluscan shellfish to the EU, while producers in Spain and the Netherlands are also now eligible to export live and raw bivalve molluscan shellfish to the U.S.

Extension Agents

Listed alphabetically by state

Farm Sign-Up

Members can fill out our online form and get listed on our Buy Shellfish page so consumers can easily search by location to find out where they can buy product direct from the farm.

Financing Resources Manual

The Financing Resources Manual from the Maine Aquaculture Association is an in-depth summary of all known financing resources available to Maine aquaculture producers as well as some generic sources available to all growers.

Gear Comparison Study

Comparison of Bottom and Floating Gear for Growing Oysters in Southeastern Massachusetts

Gear Management

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture, developed an extension-style publication based on information from a 2018 gear workshop in Cedar Key, Fla. It covers best management practices for shellfish gear; marine debris facts; lease stewardship and public perception; how to reduce, reuse, recover and recycle; shellfish gear management strategies; preparing for severe weather; and important resources.

Getting Started in Forida

Everything you need to know about growing shellfish in Florida. From acquiring a lease, to risk calculations, to planting, to harvest.

Getting Started in Maine

The Essential Start Guide to Maine Aquaculture outlines the rich opportunities and the overlooked realities of starting an aquaculture business in the state of Maine.

Hatchery and Nursery List

East Coast list updated annually by Rutgers University Cooperative Extension of Ocean County N.J.

How to Install a Soft-Shell Clam Farm

This comprehensive guide by John M. Hagan and Ethel Wilkerson of Manomet lays it all out.

Over-Wintering Oysters I

Literature review on over-wintering methods for oysters, compiled for Little Shemogue Oyster Company by Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark, Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture

Over-Wintering Oysters II

Tech Talk: To Pit or Not to Pit?
Bill Walton and Diane Murphy of Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Woods Hole Sea Grant summarize the pros and cons of over-wintering oysters in seed pits in southeastern Massachusetts, and describe their experiments on pitting.

Rookie Mistakes

Learn the easy way from those who found out the hard way

Shellfish Sanitation Guides

Updated periodically by NSSP

Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Program

The Regional Shellfish Seed Biosecurity Program (RSSBP) is a collaboration of members of industry, scientists, regulators and extension agents using the best available science to minimize risks associated with interstate seed transfers of bivalve shellfish.

Social License to Operate

In April 2022 the World Wildlife Fund held a workshop focused on the social license to farm kelp in New England. Around 100 invitees from around the globe grappled with the question of how to get past some of the permitting obstacles impeding the expansion of kelp farming in coastal waters. This final report contains extensive sections on challenges and solutions, and communications and outreach.

State Permitting

State-by-State Summary of Shellfish Aquaculture Leasing/Permitting Rules and Production Data in Microsoft Excel format

Storm Preparation Tips

A series of fact sheets for the off-bottom oyster aquaculture industry to help oyster farmers reduce damages related to wind, storm surge and decreased salinity from flooding. Six publications focus on planning, preparation and recovery for different types of farms, facilities and equipment.

Swapmeet Signup

The ECSGA Swapmeet is a Google Group that is open to anyone, where subscribers can buy and sell used gear, inquire about seed availability, look for a job or post a job opening. Unlike ECSGA-L, you don't have to be a paying member of the association to subscribe. This is a publicly accessible group so you can join it directly.

Workshop Videos

University of Florida Oyster Culture Workshop Series