Maine oysters: stories of resilience & innovation - william perna

The Maine Coast has long been famed for its dramatic beauty and for the toughness, work ethic, ingenuity and humor of its fishermen.

And now a burgeoning number of new and veteran fishermen are responding to the decline of old, wild-caught fisheries by adapting their risk-taking and resilience, aided by biological breakthroughs, to become farmers of the sea, especially of the worlds most beloved bivalves - oysters.

Up and down the coast, theyre creating a virtually new industry in Maine thats becoming a model for other aquaculturalists around the world.

Theyre doing this in a changing natural environment (good and bad for them) caused by global warming and while facing such man made challenges as NIMBYism, as they respond to Americans growing appetite for their delicious crops.

In doing so, theyre making the coastal waters where they farm healthier for all life while brightening the social and economic future of Maines coastal communities.