A scallop farmer in Penobscot Bay is looking to double the size of his operation, under what would be the largest lease for a scallop farm in Maine.
Vertical Bay owner Andrew Peters has applied for a 40-acre lease, with a 20-year lease period.
Peters said the larger area will allow him to expand the business and keep it sustainable long-term.
"Well, we need to grow more scallops, quite simply," he said. "We need more space to grow more scallops and therefore sell more, because our current scale is not profitable."
Peters said he doesn't expect to necessarily fill the whole acreage in Penobscot Bay. But he said the long application process, and higher application fees mean it made more sense to apply for one large lease, rather than several smaller ones.
"We're just trying to grow our space, basically," Peters said. "What we can have, and also, on top of that, improve our methods and have less mortality, and try to fit more scallops on the farm in a more efficient manner."
He said he hopes to be a model for other fishermen, who may be trying to diversify their business and start scallop farming.
