Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X I V J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 2 6 6 Maine home sales decline in May e number of homes sold in Maine fell by 2.82% in May compared to a year ago while the price stayed flat. According to Maine Listings, 1,206 single-family existing homes were sold in May and the median sales price was unchanged compared to a year ago at $425,000. e median sales price indi- cates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less. While May heralded the usual surge in spring home-buying, the slower pace from a year ago helped the market rebalance by offering more inventory. NOTEWORTHY STATEWIDE The boards of directors and members of the state CPA societies of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont approved a merger to form the New England Society of CPAs, effective July 1. The regional orga - nization is designed to expand value for members while building a stronger, more sustainable future for the profession. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that 19 Maine orga- nizations will receive a total of $16.2 million from the Northern Border Regional Commission's Fiscal Year 2026 Catalyst, Timber for Transit, and Forest Economy programs to support- development projects. Maine Office of Community Affairs' Maine Coastal Program and Municipal Planning Assistance Program awarded a total of $649,975 in grants to 14 projects that support planning for more resilient coastal communities and work - ing waterfronts. Portland dining pioneer wins James Beard Award Dana Street, a longtime Portland res- taurateur who helped put the city on the map as a foodie destination, won a James Beard Award, earning the "Outstanding Restaurateur" honor at a ceremony in Chicago. Street, who opened Street and Co. in 1989 and also owns Fore Street, B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N Scallop Pot product takes next step for shellfish growers B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r W orking in an uninsulated, unheated, unelectrified barn, Charlie Walsh and Jon Steuber are building what look like lobster traps but are actually a new type of shellfish farm- ing grow cage called the Maine Scallop Pot. Their Thomaston startup, Seascale, last year swept all three categories and $25,000 in prizes at a pitch competition held by Dirigo Labs in Waterville. "We built the Maine Scallop Pot to make aquaculture a real, viable option for working fishermen, not just in Maine, but anywhere traditional fisheries are facing pressure," says Steuber. At Seascale, the shellfish grow cages haul, set and stack like lobster traps. But they're purpose-built for shellfish culture and fitted with shellfish bags. Salty roots Walsh grew up on the Maine coast. His career includes lobstering, managing puffin and tern colonies for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and working with the University of Maine's experimental shellfish hatchery, Maine Sea Farms and Pemaquid Oyster Co. Steuber co-founded a youth mentorship and community development organization in Valparaíso, Chile. Since 2019, he's worked as a lobster boat sternman, helping his boat diversify into kelp production. The Seascale concept started in 2024. Each invested about $2,000 plus sweat equity and revenue from initial sales. Both continue to work their day jobs as a sternman and oyster grower. Business support has come from academic and nonprofit partners including Dirigo, Gulf of Maine Research Institute's Blue Tech Boost Incubator, Maine Technology Institute's Maine Entrepreneurial Resource Corps, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, Brady Lab at University of Maine's Darling Marine Center, Maine Sea Grant, Island Institute and Coastal Enterprises Inc. Marketing is mostly direct with fishermen, aquacul- turists and researchers at trade shows, wharfs and gear demonstrations. "Jon and I have been friends going on 16 years," says Walsh. "We've been orbiting each other in terms of interests and professional endeavors for years." The idea for Seascale originated with Walsh. The idea was to create more efficiency in aquaculture equipment. "Two years ago, it was a doodle on a yellow legal pad," says Walsh. "I sat down with Jon and said, 'Do you think this has any legs?" The two bought a couple of rolls of covered wire mesh typically used in lobster traps. They cut, bent and J-clipped the wire by hand — jobs that could have been done with pneumatic tools. "In terms of figuring out the design and putting it together, the first pot took us about eight hours, doing every connection with a pair of pliers," says Walsh. Tests began in 2024 on the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center's experimental aquaculture lease site off Walpole. Later versions went to lobstermen who also do aquaculture work. The gear can be used on state-permitted aquaculture lease sites; the partners are pursuing a regulatory change that would allow the gear's use alongside lobstering operations. To date, they've sold over 200 cages to a dozen customers, includ- ing researchers and aquaculturalists in Maine and beyond. Walsh and Steuber now work with Thomaston lobster trap producer Brooks Trap Mill to process components while they complete final assembly and design custom versions requested by customers for species such as clams and urchins. "These are species that want cold, deep water where fisher- men were already fishing and they have pathways to market," says Walsh. "A lot of it was looking at the Venn diagram of commercial fishing and aquaculture.". SP ONSORED BY P H O T O / DAV I D C L O U G H We built the Maine Scallop Pot to make aquaculture a real, viable option for working fishermen. — Jon Steuber Maine Scallop Pot Jon Steuber, left, and Charlie Walsh started Seascale to build a new type of shellfish farming grow cage.

• Cover