Management
Virtually all of the tidal flats in Frenchman Bay are overseen by three shellfish co-management committees, the Bar Harbor Marine Resources Committee, the Gouldsboro Shellfish Committee, and the Frenchman Bay Regional Shellfish Committee (FBRSC), representing seven towns in upper Frenchman Bay (Ellsworth, Trenton, Lamoine, Franklin, Sullivan, Hancock, and Sorrento). These towns co-manage their shellfish resources with the state and have some autonomy over licensing, what species they wish to regulate, and the timing and location of conservation closures. In the Southeast corner of the bay, Winter Harbor is the only town without a shellfish co-management group, and their management is overseen by the state.
Resources
Shellfish Closures
To view current closures please visit the Maine Shellfish Closures and Monitoring Data map from the Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Public Health
Gouldsboro, the Downeast Institute, the Schoodic Institute, and the Maine Shellfish Restoration and Resilience Fund Shellfish have collaborated on the Gouldsboro Shellfish Resilience Project. This project is an effort to restore important clam flats. You can learn more about the project here!
For more information on Maine aquaculture, licenses, and regulations please visit the Maine Department of Marine Resources.