Shellfish Focus Day is an annual event that occurs on the first day of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum and is typically held in Rockport during the first week of March. This is an important learning event that shares diverse information and perspectives related to shellfish science, municipal shellfish management, and emerging issues within fisheries. Shellfish Focus Day (SFD) is also an important part of the history of the MSLN, as members of our team have been supporting this event since 2015 by helping to strengthen collaborative approaches to planning the agenda, providing engaged digital media services to record and share presentations, and facilitating newer initiatives like the social hour and poster session.
2023
We were all glad to be back in person after two years of pandemic disruptions. This year’s SFD featured a diverse array of presentations and topics. Check out the archive of these presentations on the Maine Fishermen’s Forum site here (scroll to the section on Shellfish Seminars).
Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Maine Fishermen’s Forum was also cancelled. We did not host an alternative event this year because the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the Shellfish Advisory Council hosted a series of shellfish management workshops and regional discussions that similarly served as important learning and relationship building events.
2021
In 2020, Shellfish Focus Day was the last major, large-group event that many of us attended for months if not years. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2021 Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which required that we come up with a plan B for SFD. We teamed up with Natalie Springuel from Maine Sea Grant and host of Coastal Conversations to offer three online radio programs. Click on the links below to access the description and recordings:
Shellfish Focus Day #1: Shellfish Harvesting for the Future
Shellfish Focus Day #2: What’s changing on the mudflats?
Shellfish Focus Day #3: From the mud to your plate, shellfish markets and the seafood supply chain
2020
The MSLN hosted multiple talks at the 2020 SFD that were all centered around the diversity of voices within the shellfish community. First, Bridie McGreavy and Gabrielle Hillyer co-presented on the ongoing efforts of the MSLN. This talk spanned the formation of the MSLN, various meetings held, as well as a deeper description of the major goals and action items for the MSLN on a whole. The MSLN also hosted an interdisciplinary panel with representatives from multiple shellfish communities including Marissa McMahan from Georgetown, George Powell from Deer Isle/Stonington, David Taylor from Thomaston, and Judy Colby-George from Yarmouth. Click the video below to watch this panel. Here is a feature video from this panel:
The Mudflat 