Land-Based Aquaculture

Introduction

With passage of LD 1763, the responsibility to license land-based aquaculture facilities in Maine has been transferred from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to the Department of Marine Resources.

Application and Contact

Fill out the online land-based aquaculture license application.

Alternatively, you may use the links below to download and print a hard copy of the application. Mail or email the completed license application to: Aquaculture Division, c/o Land Based Licensing, 21 SHS, Augusta, ME 04333.

Maria Eggett is the primary point of contact for LBA inquiries. She can be reached via phone at 207-441-3770 or find her email address by selecting her name.

Transfer and Importation Permits

It remains illegal to import any aquatic species from beyond Maine's borders without approval from the appropriate state agency.

Existing cultivation permit holders, producers, and R&D facilities should take note that transfer and importation permit authority has not changed. If you have a need for either type of permit, you should apply directly to the appropriate individuals at the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) or the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W), as you have in the past.

IF&W Stocking and Cultivation Permits

Pond stocking permits and cultivation permits for facilities which primarily produce fish for stocking into fresh surface waters of the State are issued by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

  • IF&W Cultivation Permits: Email Todd Langevin at IF&W or call 207-287-5262.
  • Pond Stocking Contact: IF&W Fisheries Division, 207-287-5261

DMR Aquaculture Leases and Licenses

Leases and licenses for the cultivation of marine species within the public coastal waters of the state remain under the authority of the Department of Marine Resources.