Shellfish Portal - Decision Support Tools

This section contains resources to help shellfish aquaculture growers and managers make better decisions regarding the siting of aquaculture activity in coastal waters. The compilation includes state-by-state information such as permit types, permitting guidance documents, permitting flow-charts, and regulations. In addition, a variety of predictive modeling tools have been developed to assess the individual and cumulative effects of shellfish aquaculture farms on the environment. References to these tools are available in the bibliography provided in the “Literature” section of this website. Have a resource to share? Contact us.

Shellfisheries Information Mapping Technology (Examples)

• Connecticut - Shellfish Mapper (Interactive GIS Maps)  
  
• Florida -  Shellfish Harvesting Maps  
  
• Maine - Aquaculture Lease Inventory  
  
• Massachusetts - Designated Shellfish Growing Areas  
  
• New York - Shellfish IMAP (Suffolk County Aquaculture Lease Program)  
  
• Rhode Island - Online Aquaculture, Fisheries and Habitat Map Server  
  
• Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations - Aquaculture Location Map Collection  

State-by-State Permitting Information

• Table of Permitting Information by State (pdf)

National Regulations

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Nationwide Permit 48 for Shellfish Aquaculture
• EPA Effluent Guidelines
• National Shellfish Sanitation Program's Guide for the Control of Molluscan Shellfish 2007
• Vibrio parahaemolyticus Control Plan Guidance Template  
• Biological/Ecological Impact Assessments Example 1:  University of New Hampshire Mussel Farm (pdf)
• Biological/Ecological Impact Assessments Example 2: WHOI Mussel Farm (pdf)
• Information on Review for Essential Fish Habitat
  • Slideshow on Essential Fish Habitat (pdf)