Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center Webinar Series PRESENTS:
Social License for Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture in Maine: Farmer Strategies and Perspectives
(with Emily Whitmore | Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center)
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Farmers are well aware of the social challenges that come with starting an
aquaculture farm. Conflicts with stakeholders, concerns over impacts, and misinformation can lead to a host of challenges for new and seasoned farmers alike. In an effort to learn and share best practices for community engagement, MAIC partnered with 30 Maine shellfish and seaweed farmers to create a guide for generating social license, a concept that describes informal, ongoing community approval. In this webinar, Emily give an overview of farmer strategies for outreach and engagement, how farmers go about gaining trust from their stakeholders, and how they have dealt with opposition.
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This webinar is hosted by Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center with support from the University of Maine.
Photo credits: Carrie Byron, Brian Ericson, Dan Devereaux, Bob Baines, Fiona deKoning, Keith Butterfield
(c) University of Maine and Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center