Marsden Brewer

Marsden, Chair, is the President of Maine Aquaculture Co-op, third generation Maine commercial fisherman and Stonington aquaculturist. He has been a commercial fisherman all his life. His extensive fishing experience includes shrimping, urchining, scalloping, off shore ground fishing and lobstering. He owns and operates the 38’ F/V Lindsay Marie and fishes out of Stonington. Marsden has considerable experience in all matters relating to scallop aquaculture including spat collection and stock enhancement. He has collaborated with scientists in Maine (including Dan Schick, Scott Feindel and Dana Morse) for over 15 years on research, outreach and education regarding scallop aquaculture.

The Maine Aquaculture Co-op, which Marsden is President of, is Maine’s first aquaculture cooperative, with a board and membership comprised entirely of Maine fishermen and aquaculturists. They seek 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. They feel that by working cooperatively, we are all better able to solve technical difficulties, share best practices and resources, and leverage buying and marketing power.

For the past five years Marsden’s received an LPA permit from DMR for growing scallops and recently participated in a cohort that traveled to Japan to learn about the ear-hung method of scallop aquaculture. Marsden is a former member of the DMR Advisory Council, has been a selectman for the town of Stonington for six years and with his wife Donna, runs Red Barn Farm retail shop featuring lobsters and his farms’ goat milk cheese and soap. In 2001, Marsden was an original member of the Stonington Fisheries Alliance, an organization that Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries originated off from.