The Maine Coast has long been famed for its dramatic beauty and for the toughness, work ethic, ingenuity and humor of its fishermen. And now a burgeoning number of new and veteran fishermen are responding to the decline of old, wild-caught fisheries by adapting their risk-taking and resilience, aided by biological breakthroughs, to become farmers of the sea, especially of the world’s most beloved bivalves – oysters.

Up and down the coast, they’re creating a virtually new industry in Maine that’s becoming a model for other aquaculturalists around the world. They’re doing this in a changing natural environment (good and bad for them) caused by global warming and while facing such manmade challenges as NIMBYism, as they respond to Americans’ growing appetite for their delicious crops. In doing so, they’re making the coastal waters where they farm healthier for all life while brightening the social and economic future of Maine’s coastal communities.