– Community Impact –
Business Development
Creating New Economic Opportunities for Maine People
DEI’s innovations in hatchery and grow-out technology are intended to benefit public fisheries stock enhancement efforts and shellfish aquaculture development.
We partner with individual fishermen, fishing organizations, municipal clam committees, as well as shellfish farmers, who wish to benefit from sound experimental design when testing their ideas. We work with Maine Sea Grant, Downeast Fisheries Partnership, Aquaculture Research Institute, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, and others to help ensure our research is shared with fishermen and growers.
Our running-seawater lab includes a private space for confidential experiments. Scientists and technicians are on hand to offer expertise and provide direct husbandry services. Microalgae suitable for feeding most shellfish species is grown in our facility.
View the fee schedule for the private lab and other services here. Please contact Dianne Tilton to found out how DEI can help with your R&D efforts.
How DEI Promotes Innovation in Fisheries:
– Producing 3 to 5 million soft-shell clam seed annually for public stock enhancement and aquaculture experimentation.
– Producing hard clam (northern quahog), Razor clam, and Atlantic surf clam seed for the shellfish culture industry.
– Advancing full commercialization of the mussel farming industry by providing millions of juvenile mussels annually.
– Advancing hatchery, nursery and grow-out trials of Arctic surf clams, a potential new and high value Maine aquaculture seafood product.
– Pursuing research to break the bottleneck in European oyster seed production by rearing larvae consistently through their settlement phase.
– Developing technology to produce cultured lobster juveniles for research or aquaculture purposes.
– Being open to research opportunities and partnerships to study species such as Sea scallops, Sea urchins, kelp and Jonah and Rock crab.
– Publishing our research results in scientific journals, and sharing information through media, keynotes and workshop presentations.
– Participating in collaborative initiatives that include potential aquaculture opportunities for Maine’s coastal communities.
– Offering entrepreneurs a private business incubator (300 sq. ft.) ; with running seawater to develop new seafood ideas and initiatives.
Our Community Impact:
ADAPTIVE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
DEI provides science-based leadership to adapt to a changing marine environment.
FISHERIES STOCK ENHANCEMENT & RESTORATION
DEI has produced hundreds of millions of seed clams for coastal communities.
BUSINESS INCUBATOR
DEI has assisted fishermen and other entrepreneurs create new aquaculture opportunities.
SCIENCE EDUCATION
DEI’s marine education program makes relevant scientific exploration part of pre-K to 12 grade education
SHELLFISH FIELD DAYS
Join us August 11th for this annual event and our ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new facility.
