DEPT. OF MARINE RESOURCES

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• Municipal Shellfish
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Public Health Division - Shellfish Program

   

Amy Fitzpatrick, Director

The Public Health Division in the Bureau of Resource Management oversees the application of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) within the State of Maine. This program is implemented internationally by the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) in order to keep molluscan shellfish safe for human consumption.  This is accomplished by making sure that a common set of standards are used to classify shellfish growing areas and handle shellfish when they go to market.

Programs

• Marine Biotoxin Monitoring - monitors levels of PSP (“Red Tide”) and other marine biotoxins in Maine shellfish
• Shellfish Dealer Certification and Inspection - evaluates and certifies Maine wholesale shellfish dealers
• Shellfish Growing Area Classification - monitors the water quality at Maine shellfish flats and conducts shoreline surveys to identify sources of pollution
• Municipal Shellfish Management - assists towns in managing their flats and shellfish.  Area biologists help towns with their conservation areas, reseeding, surveying, town license allocations, shellfish ordinances, warden programs, and more.
• Volunteer Programs - water quality, phytoplankton monitoring, and horseshoe crab surveys

Forms

• Municipal Shellfish Management Forms
• Shellfish Dealer Forms
• Shellfish Relay Permit Application - PDF, 57 kb

Presentations and Outreach Information

Some of the links below are PDF files, and require Adobe Acrobat or the free Adobe Reader (download here).  If you require an alternate format, please contact Michelle Mason Webber.

• Current shellfish area closures c/o the Maine Red Tide and Shellfish Sanitation Hotline - 1-800-232-4733 (same link as hotline button above)
• Why are Shellfish Areas Closed?  from 2005 Municipal Warden Training - pdf file, 574 kb
• Compilation of shellfish laws and regulations as of December, 2008 - pdf file, 674 kb
• Certification of clam rings/pails
• Shellfish handling, tagging, and labeling - pdf file, 2.2 Mb
• Current beach swimming advisories
• Current fish consumption advisories
• Current shellfish consumption advisory

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