Expanding Quahog and Oyster Polyculture in Maine

View the project final report

Commodities

• Animals: shellfish

Practices

• Animal Production: aquaculture
• Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Mainers who make a living from the sea. Marine resource diversification is essential for adapting to this rapid change and ultimately promoting economic resilience for Maine’s coastal communities. Manomet and our partners believe that subtidal quahog aquaculture could be an opportunity for seafarmers to expand their operations and diversify their crops by utilizing the vertical space of the water column. We propose to continue and expand upon research started by Jordan Kramer in 2017 investigating the viability of quahog and oyster polyculture. Kramer has seen promising results from his SARE-funded pilot study, but further research is needed to determine if this technique is economically viable and replicable on other farms. Our objectives include: 1) expanding testing of quahog grow out on four farms in midcoast Maine, 2) continuing to monitor Kramer’s 2017 and 2018 cohorts, 3) quantify farm-scale production costs and  model potential revenue, and 4) conducting outreach to grow industry knowledge. If successful, we will have demonstrated that the incorporation of quahogs as a secondary crop is both viable and replicable across the midcoast Maine region. Furthermore, we will have provided three additional farmers with the knowledge and technology transfer needed to grow this species on their own farms.

This project seeks to build upon Kramer’s efforts to develop a method for growing quahogs within the footprint of a floating oyster farm. We aim to replicate this work on three additional oyster farms in midcoast Maine, as well as to continue monitoring Kramer’s 2017 and 2018 quahog cohorts.

Objective 1: Test quahog grow out using oyster aquaculture techniques. Objective 1.1 Farmer orientation and training

Objective 1.2 Quahog deployment

Objective 1.3 Monitoring quahog growth and survival

Objective 1.4 Measuring environmental variables

Objective 2: Continue to monitor Kramer’s 2017 and 2018 quahog cohorts. Objective 2.1 Monitoring growth and survival

Objective 2.2 Harvest 2017 cohort

Objective 3 Quantify farm-scale production costs and model potential revenue. Objective 4: Conduct outreach to grow industry knowledge and market demand.

Objective 4.1 Existing farmer outreach

Objective 4.2 Industry outreach

If successful, we will have demonstrated that the incorporation of quahogs as a secondary crop is both viable and replicable across the midcoast Maine region. Furthermore, we will have provided three additional farmers with the knowledge and technology transfer needed to grow this species on their own farms and provided additional farmers the opportunity to see the technique first-hand through field trips.