November Member Meeting-Aquaculture in St. George

The St. George Business Alliance (SGBA) invites its members and local residents to a presentation by Merritt Carey, a founding member of the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-op and the Maine Aquaculture Co-op (Co-op), on Tuesday evening, November 27, 5:00 PM, at the St. George Town Office. Local members of the Aquaculture Co-op as well as Sara Rademaker, a Tenants Harbor resident recognized for her work with glass eel aqua farming in Maine, will join Merritt for the presentation. They will focus on local aquaculture projects, challenges and species to show how the Co-op’s efforts are expanding opportunities for Maine’s local fishermen and its members.

The Maine Aquaculture Co-op is Maine’s first aquaculture cooperative, with a board and membership comprised of Maine fishermen and aquaculturists. It seeks to expand Maine’s seafood-producing industries through the thoughtful integration of fishing and farming, to diversify income opportunities for Maine fishermen, maintain our robust working waterfront, and strengthen our coastal communities. By working cooperatively, Co-op members are better able to solve technical issues, share best practices and resources, and leverage buying and marketing power. Currently, the Co-op has member farms in Tenants Harbor, Spruce Head, Stonington, and North Haven, with several more planning to come online in Penobscot Bay in 2019.

Merritt Carey grew up spending summers in Tenants Harbor. Her first job was delivering freshly cooked lobster from Cod End to boats cruising in the harbor. She was a member of the second all-female team to compete in the Whitbread Around the World Ocean Race (now the Volvo Ocean Challenge), and was selected to join the first all-female America’s Cup team. After completing her law degree at the University of Maine Law School, Merritt practiced law for a few years, then became a consultant focused on fisheries and rural economic development. This passion, plus her deep connection to Tenants Harbor, led her to help found both the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-op and the Maine Aquaculture Co-op.

A mother of three, Merritt manages Luke’s at Tenants Harbor in the summer and is responsible for Luke’s marketing and communication in the offseason.  She sits on the boards of the Maine Seaweed Council and Port Clyde’s Herring Gut Learning Center and writes a blog called Merritt in Maine.

The SGBA is a local non-profit association of businesses, individuals, civic and non-profit organizations whose mission is to promote business and cultural prosperity in St. George.

As part of that mission, the Alliance strives to educate residents and visitors about the importance of commercial fishing in our St George villages.

Please call SGBA Secretary Rosemary Limmen at 372-8102 with questions or contact SGBA via email at stgba2012@gmail.com or at www.stgeorgebusinessalliance.com.