As we approach, Tollef Olson points out the float off Clapboard Island in Casco Bay where he and partner Craig Tanner are growing mussels. "When the tide’s down you can hardly see it among the ledges." Olson and Tanner operate Aqua Farms, harvesting rope-grown mussels in Casco Bay for the last three years.

Maine is in the process of catching up to the rest of the world in aquaculture, according to Mike Hastings, who heads the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, a state-financed organization that helps shepherd the development of aquaculture operations in Maine. Mussels, Atlantic salmon, hard shell and soft shell clams and steel head trout are all being grown in marine farms in Maine and research into farming Atlantic
Halibut and Atlantic cod is currently underway.

Tollef Olson of Aqua Farms

Olson enthusiastically pitches his shellfish. They’re great nutritionally, he tells me. They’re good for the environment -and they taste good. "They’re one of the best sources of protein going for you!" Olson says their mussels are available in some of Portland’s best restaurants.

Cultivated mussels are gaining in popularity. Wild mussels vary significantly in quality. They can be gritty. The meat can be small. They can be difficult to clean. Olson says of his product, "There have never been mussels this clean before." They never touch bottom so they’re not gritty and they are quite uniform and that’s what restaurants require. Plus, he points out, "They’re cheap." You can get Olson and Tanner’s mussels at Harbor Fish Market and Brown Trading in Portland for a little over a couple of bucks a pound.

The ocean is a public resource and the state leases sites for aquaculture operations in public waters, but it can be controversial.

Mike Hastings says, "People are very concerned about the continuance of farm salmon runs." Some people are concerned about domestic species getting loose and interbreeding with native species. Some people are concerned that finfish farms, in particular, will pollute the ocean bottom, but according to Hastings, it really depends on how the farms are sited. "If there is good flushing action at the site the waste can be distributed over a larger area and in some cases be beneficial for the ocean bottom." Hastings likens it to lawn fertilizer, which will kill the grass if too concentrated, but has a beneficial effect if properly distributed.

These are the seed mussels that Olson and Tanner attach to ropes. The mussels are held to the ropes by a biodegradable tubular net until they establish themselves

It takes quite an investment and quite a bit of time to get into aquaculture. Most of the shellfish leases are located south of Damariscotta, where warmer temperatures allow for faster growing. Most salmon farms are farther up the coast near Eastport, Lubec and Machais.

Shellfish farms are less of a pollution concern because the shellfish are getting their nutrients from what’s already in the water; unlike finfish farms where fish must be fed. During the leasing process, divers examine the ocean bottom in the area. Studies must be submitted of the water flow and the water column. Applicants for sites must also be concerned with issues of safety for fishermen and recreational boaters.

Olson did a lot of research before submitting applications for his sites near Clapboard Island and Bangs Island in Casco Bay. His operation also has a site in Blue Hill Bay where they grow the seed mussels that eventually become the harvested products. He rejected some sites he looked at because he knew he wouldn’t get past the State’s rigid review.

Another hurtle faced by fish farmers is the scarcity of coastal property. Hastings says, "There’s a de-industrialization of the coast going on," as areas once dedicated to marine trades like boat building and fishing become more valuable for residential real estate. This puts the squeeze on fish farmers when nearby property owners don’t want a fish farm occupying their view.

The rope on the left shows mussels that were recently seeded. Some of them have begun to emerge from the net. On the right, Olson holds up a rope that's nearly ready to be harvested.

Some people don’t think the view outside their window should include a commercial facility, especially at the prices paid for coastal real estate, but the State of Maine’s oceans were the site of commercial activity long ago and no law requires aesthetic concerns be taken into consideration when the state decides who gets to use public waters for aquaculture. According to Hastings, people whose real objections are based on aesthetics will frequently make claims of environmental damage.

Olson beams about his shellfish farms contribution to the environment. "Shellfish are actually critical to a healthy ecosystem. I’m proud the product is good for the environment."

In Europe, where more people are jammed onto a smaller landmass, these sorts of aquaculture operations are big business. While building their operation, Olson and Tanner looked to Europe to learn how producers operate. They adapted many techniques from European operations to Maine species and Maine locations.

Hastings points out aquaculture is the fastest growing source of food in the world. One out of four seafood animals now comes from fish farms rather than from being caught in the wild. Most shrimp you buy now is farm grown. Fifty percent of all aquaculture in the US is Catfish grown in fish farms in the South; Florida, Mississippi, Alabama. In Florida, most exotic fish bound for the aquarium market are also raised in fish farms. Overseas fish farming is even more important. Norway produces six hundred thousand metric tons of salmon a year in fish farms. The state of Maine produces just sixteen thousand metric tons.

The float off Clapboard Island

With all of the issues facing Maine’s fisheries and fishermen, aquaculture will probably play an even bigger role in the seafood industry in the future. Researchers at the University of Maine are already working on a project to raise halibut on land-based fish farms. The University is also working with an English company, Sea Bait Limited, to develop aquaculture for marine worms, used for feed for finfish aquaculture and bait for sport fishermen.

Like regular fishing, mussel farming isn’t the way to get rich quick. According to Olson, "It’s plain ol’ grunt work. We’re muddy from head to toe. There’s nothing glamorous."

Incidentally, a week or so after visiting Aqua Farm’s float, I finally picked up a bag of their mussels at Harbor Fish in Portland. My completely subjective review? Delicious.

by Chad Gilley
August 6, 2002

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