The Maine Department of Marine Resources' (DMR) Aquaculture Division has purchased a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to assess aquaculture lease applications, replacing a failing older model.
The remote vehicle was purchased with USD 51,024 (EUR 43,934) in funding from the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC)
“The Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center has provided DMR with an important tool that will support the future of Maine’s aquaculture industry,” Aquaculture Division Director Amanda Ellis said.
The Aquaculture Division first began using a ROV to streamline site evaluations in 2023 after purchasing a more than decade-old used model from DMR’s Science Bureau. Prior to that, the division had to conduct underwater assessments solely with human divers.
“Efficiency is critical because of the increased interest in Maine’s aquaculture sector,” Ellis said. “The number of lease application submissions has increased significantly over the past several years. It can take up to three years from the date a proposal was deemed complete to issue a final decision on the application. These time frames are very challenging for industry.”
The new technology allowed the division to conduct assessments faster, roughly tripling the number of site visits the state could conduct in a year. The division said the ROV has saved roughly 600 hours of staff time.
“The data collected is easily integrated into written reports, reducing the overall time staff spend drafting and refining them and allowing them to focus on other critical tasks,” Ellis said.
However, the government said the older model was already beginning to fail and needed to be replaced. DMR reached out to MAIC for grant support, which was approved.
"Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center is grateful to DMR's Aquaculture Division for exploring the use of technology to make efficiencies when conducting site inspections, and we are proud to support the DMR team,” MAIC Executive Director Anne Langston Noll said in a release. “This new ROV represents our commitment to fostering innovation in Maine’s aquaculture sector, ensuring that our industry can grow sustainably."
