Public Health Division - Shellfish Program
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.
News
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. List of municipal shellfish wardens (pdf file, 2 pages, 36 kb)
- Volunteer Programs - water quality, phytoplankton monitoring, and horseshoe crab surveys
Forms
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.
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.
