July 30—The state university system is building a $10.3 million research center aimed at training future workers for careers in aquaculture and helping solve problems facing fish and oyster farms in Maine.
Construction is scheduled to begin in October and last around a year, with opening scheduled for the end of 2025. The opening was postponed until August due to difficulties in supplying the steel structure. The project is partially funded by the federal government and must comply with the Build America Buy America Act, which requires construction materials to be produced in the United States.
The 14,200-square-foot facility is being designed by SMRT Architects & Engineers, which also designed the Roux Institute in Portland and the University of Southern Maine’s new career center and student housing.
The center will be built on the main campus in Orono, on the same site as the former Aquaculture Research Center on Sebago Road, a converted chicken coop that was used for over thirty years before being demolished in 2022.
The project has a budget of more than $10.3 million, including $7 million in federal funds and congressionally directed spending secured by Senators Susan Collins and Angus King. The remaining $3.335 million comes from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.
The projects are currently being finalized, with the board of directors voting unanimously at its July meeting to use up to $1.5 million of the budget to continue this process.
“(The center) links research and teaching, so that there is classroom and research space together, and brings professionals from the aquaculture industry, academic researchers and experts, and students to work together in identifying and addressing the types of problems that aquaculture industry faces,” said Trish Riley, chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. “(We) can hopefully be of assistance in resolving any issues before they become problems.”
Maine’s aquaculture industry is rapidly expanding and with that comes the need for more workers, said Deborah Bouchard, director of the Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Maine.
The economic impact of aquaculture in Maine has nearly tripled in 10 years, from $50 million in 2007 to $137 million in 2017, according to the university’s most recent report on the sector.
“It was the industry that came to us saying they needed people to fill positions, so it was really for the purpose of developing the workforce,” Bouchard said of the need for a new, larger facility. “This was an opportune time to address workforce development and recirculation of aquaculture systems.”
Chris Hedberg, agricultural director at Mere Point Oyster Company, said programs that get young people into the industry have been immensely helpful in providing workers. He pointed to Maine Career Catalyst’s Aquaculture Pioneers and the Maine Aquaculture Association’s apprenticeship program as good examples.
The new research center will include scaled-down replicas of tools used on commercial aquaculture farms, such as biofiltration and water quality systems, allowing students to gain hands-on experience in the industry. The programs will focus on topics such as fish nutrition, sustainability and the impacts of climate change.
“The earlier you get in and the more you learn early on, the better off you will be,” Hedberg said. “There are so many new directions that are evolving in the industry, so having younger generations learn them only benefits everyone.”
UMaine is also planning to partner with the Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki tribes to address their concerns and views, including on tribal food sovereignty and economic development.
“This is opening a lot of doors for new research,” Bouchard said.
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