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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 M AY 2 9 , 2 0 2 3 F O C U S L O C A L LY G ROW N for the past three years. is year, she's planting 350,000 seeds. Challenges include navigating the regulatory process. e leasing process is difficult to navigate. "It's extensive, it involves a lot of work and a lot of skills, like mapping," Gray says. e process, established by the state, is reasonable, she adds. "But I think people think you just fill out a form. at's not at all true," she continues. As Morse notes, nature also has its say. Gray's cages are in a shallow site — great because the water warms to a good growing temperature, but dif- ficult to sink gear for protection from winter conditions. When pancake ice came through late last year, "it picked up a whole line of my cages and dragged it through probably four or five more lines of oysters, picking up a mooring rock and wrapping my pennant around it," she says. "e ice is no joke. My cages were up on a ledge. You only have so much time to get out there, because if the oysters are exposed to freezing temperatures, they will die." Gray launched a boat, dragged the cages one by one off the ledge and placed them back on the bottom at low tide. A local diver suited up to make sure they were correctly oriented so the oysters weren't in the mud, which could suffocate them. Help from family and neighbors is part of the industry's success. Gray's in-laws helped build an oyster tumbler, which sieves and grades seeds or adults, and a float with a shelter. Gray expanded to Portland outlets last winter and now has five part-time employees. "is is my second year having a real crew," she says. "When I was by myself and going out every day, I loved meeting the challenges. But now I have real help, I feel like I'm really starting to get somewhere. at has been huge." Beer summit omas Henninger started Madeleine Point Oyster Farms in Yarmouth six years ago after working on commer- cial oyster draggers in southern New England and as a nurse in Maine. He and his wife have two sons and were looking for a way to include the whole family in a business. Henninger spotted a growing cage one day. His training as a biolo- gist and commercial fishing experi- ence kicked in. "e fireworks went off in my brain," he recalls. "I said, 'Here's a way to grow oysters in a way that's envi- ronmentally friendly. I instantly could see that this was something I could do with my boys." So he educated himself. "I got in my pick-up truck with a sleeping bag and basically went up and down the East Coast to find people doing it," he recalls. In New Brunswick, he noticed people in small boats doing surface farming. When they came in, no one was interested in talking with him, curtly responding in French. 207-294-2075 or www.browndogcarriers.com On Time — Every Time — Stress Free C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Lauren Gray, who started Cranberry Oysters in 2015, says help from family and neighbors is part of the industry's success Madeleine Point Oyster Farms in Yarmouth P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A D E L E I N E P O I N T O Y S T E R FA R M S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C R A N B E R R Y O Y S T E R S Maine Oyster Trail M aine Sea Grant launched the Maine Oyster Trail in 2017 and today it features over 80 businesses offering farm tours, raw bars, boat and kayak tours, and opportunities to buy oysters directly from farmers. Now a collaborative initiative organized by Maine Aquaculture Association and Maine Sea Grant, it offers an interac- tive planning guide.

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