Maine Aquaculture Occupational Standards released
Four sets of standards cover fed and non-fed species as well as land-based operations
The Maine Aquaculture Association on Tuesday released the first Maine Aquaculture Occupational Standards, which specify workforce skills and training needs for the state’s growing aquaculture sector.
In total, four standards were released, focused on occupations related to marine shellfish and sea vegetables, marine finfish, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and land-based shellfish hatcheries.
“Based on a strong collaboration between the farmers and the educational community, these standards will help ensure that Maine aquaculture businesses have the skills and training needed to compete in a global market,” said Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association.
Also included was a supplementary document, the Maine Shellfish Aquaculture Career Pathways Map, an overview of common job types, entry points and career pathways.
The standards were completed in collaboration with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and other groups and are based on one-on-one interviews with aquaculture businesses and educational institutions across Maine.
“The development of these first-of-their-kind standards shows once again that Maine’s sea farmers are leading the nation in the emergence of a competitive and sustainable domestic aquaculture sector,” said Belle.
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