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 .