The Bureau of Public Health and Aquaculture within the Department of Marine Resources is planning a series of listening sessions to hear from stakeholders about the aquaculture program. This calendar event is for the Portland meeting, and the full list of five coastal meetings is available on DMR’s website.

Each two-hour session is open to the public and will be professionally facilitated by Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions in Brunswick. These are not traditional public hearings, but rather the sessions are designed to foster understanding of the opportunities and challenges we face and discussion of the best ideas for moving forward with aquaculture in Maine. In addition to giving input at the sessions, stakeholders are also invited to submit written feedback. A report of all input received, including themes and leading ideas, will be prepared and made available afterward.

For more information, visit: https://www.maine.gov/dmr/meetings/wed-03062024-1200-portland-aquaculture-listening-session

Join us for the last Working Group meeting of 2022 to help us plan for next year! We want to hear from you - harvesters, shellfish committee members, and shellfish wardens/marine resource conservation officers - about what regional issues the Working Group should focus on in 2023.

This will be an in-person meeting only. Harvesters are eligible to get conservation hours in towns that allow points for attending meetings. We will also have Irving gift cards to help cover fuel costs.

Click here for the final agenda.

This meeting is intended to foster a conversation with local land trust representatives about how intertidal access issues for shellfish harvesters may intersect or have the potential to intersect with their work. At this meeting, we hope to have an engaging conversation about opportunities for your land trust to support intertidal access. We will also have regional land trust representatives share their experiences working with municipal shellfish committees, and the ways they are already working to improve access in the region.

The meeting will be held at the Merrill Memorial Library in Yarmouth, in the Lewis Hall meeting room on September 29th, 2022 from 10 to 11:30 AM. There will also be an option to join remotely. This meeting is intended for land trust representatives, and is by invitation only.

View the final agenda here.

The DMR Bureau of Public Health will be holding the 2022 Quarter 3 Shellfish Advisory Council (ShAC) meeting on September 14, 2022. The meeting will start promptly at 1:00 PM and finish at approximately 4:00 PM. This meeting will be conducted in-person at the DMR Augusta office in Room 118 and virtually via Microsoft Teams.

The agenda and other meeting materials will be posted on DMR’s ShAC webpage as they are available.

The Shellfish Advisory Council has called for a special meeting to discuss the summary report that was generated by the Municipal Shellfish Management meetings this past May. The DMR Bureau of Public Health invites you to attend this meeting on July 20, 2022 from 3:30-5:00 PM, via Microsoft Teams.

Nominations for two vacant positions on the Shellfish Advisory Council will also be considered at this meeting. See the meeting announcement on the DMR website for nomination instructions and criteria for the two vacancies, which are for an aquaculture lease holder from the eastern and from the western region of the state.

A favorite summer exploration, come traverse the softshell clam flats of Reid State Park with KELT and Georgetown’s Shellfish Warden and dig a clam or a dozen. This event is great for kids!

No clam digging license is needed to dig a peck of clams from the sandy flats near Todds Point. Adults and children alike will enjoy the scenery and hunting for softshell clams and other tidal creatures. Participants will learn about the local clam digging industry and discover the importance of clean water to the clams and the harvesters that dig them.

The program offered by KELT is free and open to the public. Participants will need to pay the state park entrance fee. This is a rain or shine event, and registration is strongly encouraged. Visit the event page to register.

Join the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust for a discussion of etiquette on the water at the Bailey Island Library Hall on Wednesday, June 15 from 6-8 p.m. There will be a seafood tasting from 6-6:30 p.m. and a panel discussion from 6:30-8 p.m. Anyone may attend this FREE event in person, live via Zoom, or view as a recording later. Advance registration is required. Click here to register.

Etiquette may not be a term typically associated with the working waterfront but, in this case, it refers to the way that people can both work on and enjoy the waterfront and its coastal waters in a respectful and safe way. Panelists for this event will include Maine Island Trails Association and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association along with representatives from local fishing and chartering businesses. They will be discussing the various activities that take place on the water and share stories about how to share space and work together.

This event will have a seafood tasting, including Monkfish Stew and oysters from the New Meadows River Shellfish Co-op, prior to the presentation. The tasting will be held outside, weather permitting, as a celebration by the partnering organizations and attendees of the start of summer and the conclusion of this season’s working waterfront conversation series.

This panel discussion is part of an ongoing collaborative partnership between the Harpswell Anchor, the Cundy’s Harbor Library, the Holbrook Community Foundation, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, and Harpswell Heritage Land Trust. Click here for more about the collaboration.

Photo taken by Curt Chipman.

The Beaches Conference is designed to inspire learning, appreciation and awareness, and promote informed decision-making and actions on our changing beaches and coasts. The event fosters the exchange of scientific, cultural, and experiential knowledge from diverse interests. Please join the community in building and celebrating the partnerships needed to support long-term beach and coastal monitoring, management, and stewardship.

There are several sessions involving Working Group coordinators. Join Dr. Marissa McMahan to learn how to identify a molting green crab (with live crabs), get a demo of the Community Intertidal Data Portal with Madeline Tripp, or listen to a panel on fisheries co-management with Jessica Joyce and Emily Farr.

For more information and to register, visit The Beaches Conference website.

Join us for an interactive webinar to learn about the new Community Intertidal Data Portal and apply it to solve real-world challenges! The Data Portal is a collection of map applications and informational resources designed to support nearshore planning and management in the Casco Bay region by making intertidal data and information more accessible. The session will be on Wednesday, June 8th from 3:30-5pm and will include time for participants to work through a scenario using one of the map applications.

This event is designed for municipal staff and volunteer committee members, but it is open to anyone interested in learning more about the intertidal. Please register in advance at this Zoom link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See the agenda for the meeting here.

This project was the product of collaboration between the  Casco Bay Regional Shellfish Working Group, Spatial Alternatives, and the Greater Portland Council of Governments. 

Taste the variety that Maine's coastal waters have to offer when you join us at Luke's Lobster for a free clam tasting event! Clams are an important part of Maine's cultural heritage and economy, and the state is home to several different species, including soft-shell clams, quahogs, razor clams, and surf clams. These sustainable shellfish have long been an integral part of Wabanaki ways of life, in addition to supporting a hardworking community of clammers and one of Maine's most valuable fisheries.

Discover the culinary variations of Maine's clams by sampling several different locally-harvested and grown clam dishes while you chat with a shellfish harvester and learn how to shuck a quahog! The event will be on May 23rd from 4-6PM at Luke's Lobster on the Pier in Portland. Registration for this event is now full.

The talented Chef Ashley DeSilva and her kitchen crew are busy creating these delectable appetizers:

• Filet mignon with clam belly compound butter

• Fried clam necks with dill tartar sauce and glass sage

• Quahog clam dip on local root fried vegetables 

• Clam stuffed mushroom 

Guests may also order food items off the regular menu at any time with the bartender or server. Luke’s is offering a special cocktail (Bloody Caesar: house-made Clamato with fresh clam juice) as well!

This event is sponsored by Luke’s Lobster and hosted by Manomet, the Casco Bay Regional Shellfish Working Group, and Tidal Bay Consulting. Shellfish products will be provided by Chris Warner, Casco Bay Shellfish, and Eros Oyster .

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust is hosting an interactive panel discussion about access for fishing businesses on Wednesday, May 11 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Orr’s Island Schoolhouse, 1795 Harpswell Islands Road.

What does water access mean to fishing businesses? Depending on the season and fishery, access can encompass many different things beyond the physical ability to walk to the water, including parking availability, gear storage, or boat ramps, among other factors. Learn more from fishermen and town staff about access in Harpswell, some of the challenges that exist, and how we can support Harpswell’s family-owned fishing businesses.

Refreshments provided, including free samples of Monkfish Stew from Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA)! MCFA is selling the stew to benefit their Fishermen Feeding Mainers Program, which donates fresh seafood to local food banks, schools, and community groups. You can buy it locally in Harpswell at Iris Eats!

This event may be attended in person, via Zoom, or view later as a recording. It is free and open to all. Advance registration is required. Click here to register or reach out to Julia McLeod at director@hhltmaine.org or 207-721-1121.

This panel discussion is part of an ongoing collaborative partnership between the Harpswell Anchor, the Cundy’s Harbor Library, the Holbrook Community Foundation, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, and Harpswell Heritage Land Trust. Click here for more about the collaboration.

Photo credit: MCFA/Knack Factory

Join us for our spring Working Group meeting! On May 9th, we will be holding a meeting at the Morrell Meeting Room in Brunswick’s Curtis Memorial Library from 4:30-6:30pm. There will be time to share updates from each town’s shellfish/marine resource committee, and to hear about all the current Working Group projects, including the release of our new guide to Preserving Intertidal Access , the Community Intertidal Data Portal (which is in a beta testing phase), and the new shore access mapping project that Manomet is leading. View the full agenda for the meeting here.

We look forward to seeing you in-person and kicking off the 2022 season with you! Refreshments will be provided at the end for those who would like to eat a light dinner and network. RSVPs are optional, but appreciated by May 6!

Please note harvesters may be eligible to receive conservation points for your attendance. Please indicate if you’d like points when you sign in. We will also be offering Irving gas cards for harvesters and volunteer committee members.

The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) will hold a Shellfish Advisory Council meeting on April 5, from 12 - 3PM. Meeting details will be posted on DMR's website as they are available.

Join Harpswell Heritage Land Trust for a series of presentations about Harpswell’s working waterfront. The presentations will take place in person, but a webinar option is also available and they will be recorded.

The second event, Conversations From the Fishing Community, will be an informal storytelling roundtable where different generations of Harpswell fishing families share what has changed over the years and what they have passed on. This event is meant to be an opportunity for those from the fishing community, young and old, to talk casually with each other while giving audience members a chance to listen in on their conversations. The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association will moderate this panel too, along with the question-and-answer session following. Click here to register for the Nov. 18 event.

Join us to learn more about the Community Intertidal Data Portal, an interactive resource that is being developed for anyone involved in climate change adaptation or coastal planning. Find out how municipalities can preserve the ecological, cultural, and economic character of the intertidal zone and see a demo of the new data tools. You will also have the opportunity to shape future additions to the data portal. Register at for the virtual workshop here.

This workshop series is organized by the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, the Greater Portland Council of Governments, the New England Environmental Finance Center, and the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Join Harpswell Heritage Land Trust for a series of presentations about Harpswell’s working waterfront. The presentations will take place in person, but a webinar option is also available and they will be recorded.

The first presentation, Fishing through the Seasons, will focus on the variety of fisheries in Harpswell as well as the methods and timing for harvest. Panelists will share information on what they catch, how and when. Representatives from a variety of fisheries including shellfish, groundfish, lobstering, and aquaculture will be included. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association staff will also participate in the panel as well as moderate the hour-long conversation and half hour of questions from the audience. Click here to register for the Oct. 21 event.

Join us for the first in-person meeting of the Working Group since January 2020! We will be gathering outside in the event tent at Flight Deck Brewing in Brunswick (former Naval Air Station) for a casual evening of catching up and networking. We will start at 5 PM with brief updates on spring and summer projects, then hear from all the towns, and leave the rest of the time to catching up on all things shellfish.

Green crab dip made by local chef, Ali Waks Adams(@aliwaks) will be served, along with pizza. Mileage reimbursements will be available. Harvesters, check in with your wardens to see if participating will earn you conservation points.

We expect this to be a rain or shine event; however, in the event of extreme weather conditions, we may postpone the event. Any changes will be posted here on the day of the event.

If you are able, please RSVP here, although walk-ins are fine too!