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Aquaculture
AQUACULTURE IN MAINE
What is Aquaculture?
Aquaculture is defined as the culture, husbandry or farming of marine organisms such as fish, shellfish or aquatic plants by any person. Maine's Public Trust Doctrine is a principle of common law declaring that the state holds title to submerged lands under navigable waters in trust for the benefit of the public. Because of this declaration, aquaculture is strictly regulated by the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
HELPFUL LINKS
What is Aquaculture? (Printable)
Active & Denied Lease Decisions (State Wide)
Types of Aquaculture
Limited Purposes Aquaculture Licenses (LPA's)
The limited-purpose aquaculture (LPA) licensing program provides applicants with the opportunity to obtain a one-year license to rear specific species using particular gear types that cover no more than 400 square feet. Because the license is specific to certain gear and certain species on a very small amount of area, licenses can be approved without the extensive review that is required for either an experimental or standard lease. The intention of this program, developed at the suggestion of shellfish growers, is to streamline the permitting process so that growers can "try out" different locations prior to applying for a lease. Riparian shorefront property owners within 300' will be notified directly by the applicant about their proposal. For LPA's, the Maine Department of Marine Resources requests that a municipal official (in this case the Harbormaster) review the application(s) for unreasonable interference with navigation, unreasonable impediment to riparian shorefront owner's ingress and egress and unreasonable impacts to fishing or other uses of the area. If the Harbormaster is uncertain about a specific area, the Town will ask that DMR and the Maine Marine Patrol conduct their own evaluation of any three of the listed criteria. The Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources strictly holds the authority to approve or deny any and all applications.
"Experimental" (Limited Purpose) Lease
Experimental leases are small in size (up to 4 acres) and short in duration (up to 3 years). Experimental leases were created to allow for commercial and scientific research on sites before a longer or larger lease is needed. These leases are granted with fewer application requirements and do not require the same level of review as standard leases. Experimental leases cannot be renewed unless they are for scientific research. A limited-purpose lease for commercial research expires at the end of the 3-year period. The leaseholder may then apply for a standard lease. Riparian shorefront property owners within 1000' will be notified directly by the applicant about their proposal. For Experimental Leases, the Maine Department of Marine Resources completes their own review and site visit. The town's municipal official (Harbormaster) is sent an optional "Questionnaire" regarding the proposal. The Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources strictly holds the authority to approve or deny any and all applications.
Standard Lease
Standard leases are bigger (up to 100 acres) and longer in duration (up to 20 years) than experimental leases. Standard leases are issued for both bottom and suspended culture and of shellfish, finfish, and/or marine algae. Standard leases can be renewed, transferred, or expanded. Riparian shorefront property owners within 1000' will be notified directly by the applicant about their proposal. For Standard Leases, the Maine Department of Marine Resources completes their own review and site visit. The town's municipal official (Harbormaster) is sent an optional "Questionnaire" regarding the proposal. The Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources strictly holds the authority to approve or deny any and all applications.