Growing Oysters in the Gulf of Maine

The Sounding Line | Mar 1, 2022

In this episode of The Sounding Line, we learn about what it's like to be an oyster aquaculture farmer in Maine.

A teal background has white, line-drawn icons on top of it in the shape of oysters. In the top left, there is a line-drawn icon in the shape of a ear lobe, and the words "The Sounding Line" appear in white at the bottom left.

Aquaculture is the practice of growing seafood in a controlled setting, as opposed to harvesting wild populations. Roughly half of all global seafood production comes from aquaculture, and that number is growing rapidly, outpacing wild-harvest production rates. From Atlantic salmon, oysters, mussels, and eels to sea vegetables like kelp, the variety of farmable seafood is vast and growing. The sustainable aquaculture sector in the Gulf of Maine is growing, and its potential to bolster the blue economy in our region is evident.

In this episode, we hear from Joanna Fogg, Co-founder and Owner of Bar Harbor Oyster Company, and Ben Hamilton, Co-owner and Operator of Love Point Oysters, about their experiences launching and running oyster aquaculture farms here in Maine.

You really have to understand the creatures in your care, and their well-being, and do everything you can to steward their journey.

Ben Hamilton Co-owner and Operator
A portrait of a man in a gray shirt.
Ben Hamilton Co-owner and Operator

See the transcript of this conversation to read it in full.

Featured Farms

Featured Experts

  • Carissa Maurin

    Aquaculture Project Manager

    [email protected]
  • A portrait of a woman smiling.

    Joanna Fogg

    Co-founder and Owner

    Bar Harbor Oyster Company

  • A portrait of a man in a gray shirt.

    Ben Hamilton

    Co-owner and Operator

    Love Point Oysters

About The Sounding Line

In this new audio series, we invite partners, stakeholders, and leaders to join us for candid conversations about what’s most important to them. Our rotating cast of staff hosts are using this series as an opportunity to listen — and we hope you will too!

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