Cat Cove Marine Lab

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Aquaculture Permitting in Massachusetts

The Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center (NEMAC) located at the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory; a part of Salem State College was opened on April 26, 1999. The laboratory is housed on a 16-acre site including an 8-acre tidal pond (Smith Pool) and a 5,500 ft² wet lab. Three tidal gates can manipulate water flow and level within the pond. The wet lab includes 36 tanks, ranging in size from 40 to 850 gallons, which are setup to culture finfish and shellfish, an environmentally controlled algal culture room, an analytical laboratory and an instructional room. All water entering the lab is filtered and treated by UV units. Seawater is distributed throughout the lab either at ambient or adjusted temperatures, seawater can be cooled or heated depending on seasonal conditions or research requirements. The lab site also contains a garage housing a 16-foot boat for deploying sample equipment and a workshop for preparing and repairing field gear.

Since opening in April 1999, the Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center, NEMAC, and the Cat Cove Marine Lab and Hatchery have made significant contributions to the economic, environmental and educational interests of the North Shore and the Commonwealth. The hatchery has produced in excess of 10.5 million soft-shelled, “steamers’, clam seed. These seed clams have been transported and planted on sand flats throughout the state. Within the North Shore communities of Ipswich and Rowley alone, 13 acres of clams have been planted in the past five years. As water quality continues to improve along our coastline, more communities will likely benefit from our efforts. Additionally, we are culturing mussels off the coast of Gloucester with notable success. Expanding beyond the North Shore, we are supplying clam seed to the South Shore, Cape Cod and the Islands, as soft-shell clams are becoming increasingly popular with shellfish growers. We are the only certified hatchery for soft-shell clams in the state.

Cat Cove Marine Lab

NOAA Aquaculture

Aquaculture Permitting in Massachusetts