Aquaculture

University of Maryland Extension and Maryland Sea Grant have compiled a list to help aquaculture businesses find resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This list is not a complete list of all the resources which may be available to you. We will attempt to update this list as new resources are...

The East Coast Commercial Fishermen’s and Aquaculture Trade Expo was in Ocean City again on January 15-17, 2016. The show was in its 42 nd year with aquaculture now being a large part of the exhibits. Seminar programs on Saturday covered a range of topics and were attended by a large group of...

Aquaculture has long been used in Maryland to help manipulate public harvest areas, as well as for private production of oysters. The State had an active program that returned shells from processing plants to natural beds. When the industry was highly productive, there were mountains of oyster...

Water column leases (WCL) have become popular, mostly for producing high quality single oysters to be sold to raw bars. The oysters are usually set on ‘micro-chips’, or finely ground shell fragments, and must spend time in a nursery prior to being placed in containment gear and on grounds for...

Presentations from our 2014 Workshop * Social Media Websites Handout (PDF)

Maryland Value Added Producer Matching Grants Now Available From MARBIDCO ANNAPOLIS (April 13, 2016)— The Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) has announced a grant funding opportunity to encourage Maryland's independent agricultural producers to...

Many growers who have gotten into shellfish production are finding that they require better management skills. They have developed their leases and taken advantage of the programs that have trained them in producing seed and planting it effectively. Others have developed skills in managing their...

With the revision of Maryland’s shellfish leasing laws in 2009 and the concentration of authority in the Department of Natural Resources new Aquaculture Division, a great many new businesses have developed. Maryland offers both traditional Submerged Land Leases as well as Water Column Leases and,...

Remote Setting is a method of producing seed that was developed in the Pacific Northwest. It relies on hatcheries to produce oyster seed up to the eyed pediveliger stage just prior to the time when the animals get ready to undergo metamorphosis, attach to a substrate and become spat. At this point...

Starting a shellfish aquaculture business requires many important decisions. These include: what type of gear to use; what markets to target with your products; where to find a suitable lease and what type to apply for; how to make out the applications; where to find financing; and many others that...