been enacted in an attempt to recover overdug areas (see chapter 12, 

 "Commercially Important Invertebrates"). The amount of clams harvested and 

 the value of specific clam flats is available from MDMR but most of these 

 data are not current. The locations of the major shellfish beds harvested in 

 coastal Maine are shown in atlas map 4. 



Additional species of importance, in order of value, are: bait worms 

 (bloodworm and sandworm) , $2.0 million; scallops, $1.3 million; and mussels, 

 $0.3 million. In total, shellfish were worth $41.4 million, compared to $10.3 

 million for finfish at 1976 landed values. 



The Department of Marine Resources has attempted to market and develop 

 interest in such species as spiny dogfish, mussels, squid, eels and elvers, 

 sea urchins, skate, quahogs, periwinkles, sculpin, pollock, and sea moss. 

 Some of these species may have local economic value. 



Sea moss (Irish moss) forms the basis of an industry, Marine Colloids, Inc. of 

 Rockland, the world's largest producer of carrageen products (food 

 stabilizers). Much of the sea moss comes from the Maritime Provinces of 

 Canada. Little organized harvesting is done in Maine. Other related 

 industries are boat-building and repair, trap mills, shellfish transporters, 

 lobster cooperatives, and seafood wholesalers and retailers. 



Aquaculture . Aquaculture and its commercial potential has received much 

 attention on the Maine coast following the efforts of several groups (Gaucher 

 1971) to stimulate experimental work. Emphasis was placed on the salmonid 

 fishes and oysters ( Crassostrea virginica and Ostrea edulis). Although more 

 than a hundred potential sites have been identified by the Maine State 

 Planning Office (1977) only about ten active commercial projects exist in the 

 characterization area. Descriptions of the feasibility and success of several 

 of these projects are given by Merrill (1978), Mant (1974), and Hidu (1974). 



Forest industry . The availability of useful data on the harvest and 

 value of forest lands in the coastal zone varies considerably. About one- 

 quarter of the State's commercial forest land, or 8,383,500 acres (3,394,120 

 ha), is in the coastal counties. Over 8484 million board feet of sawtimber, 

 pole timber, and other materials were produced in the coastal counties in 

 1974. The Maine Bureau of Forestry estimates that the annual value of 

 stumpage is approximately $245/acre in coastal Maine. 



The forest industry owns 110,847 acres (44,610 ha) of land in Washington 

 County, which constitutes 23% of the county's coastal land. This land is owned 

 by five companies. In Hancock County, the only other coastal county in Maine 

 with a large area of forest industry-owned land, only 3.7% of the total land 

 in coastal towns is controlled by forest companies. Small woodlot owners 

 (<1900 acres; 770 ha) possess more commercial forest land than forest 

 companies possess. The only data on small woodlot ownership are from 

 Washington County, where about 34% or 163,300 acres (66,127 ha) of the coastal 

 towns are in small woodlots . 



Despite the fact that only a relatively small portion of commercial forest 

 land is located in the coastal zone, the economic impact of the industry on 

 the coast is substantial. In Washington County, harvesting is a major source 



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