View an enlarged pdf version of the Recent Timeline of Aquaculture or download it by clicking here.
Maine’s aquaculture industry dates back to the late 1800’s with the establishment of the Craig Brook Fish hatchery at a mill site at the mouth of Craig Brook on Alamoosook Lake. With the passage of the state legislation permitting the leasing of marine aquaculture sites in 1973, commercial shellfish farming rapidly expanded, followed by finfish farms in the mid-1980’s. Growth of those sectors has fueled the industry to it’s current 75-80 million annual farmgate sales. In recent years, sea vegetable farming and land-based recirculating aquaculture systems have gained considerable interest.