The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for the Milbridge/Steuben area will be this Saturday, July 18, from 2 to 4:30 pm at the Milbridge Elementary School gymnasium located at 39 Washington St, Milbridge, ME 04658. This will be a group discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Aquaculture within your community. The conversation will touch on the current infrastructure and resources, and much more. Below are the themes we will be discussing.
When the SWOT Analysis is finalized, we will compile our discussion into a public report. This report is intended to identify the most up-to-date strengths and challenges that the workforce or an aquaculture business faces in your community, and how to support them. We will ensure that any information you prefer not to share is excluded from the report. We will send the report to you all first before making it publicly available.
Drinks and snacks will be provided, along with a $50 stipend per participant, distributed at the end of the SWOT analysis. There will also be a $150 raffle for a Hamilton Marine gift card, with the winner drawn at the end of the workshop.
Thank you for considering joining the discussion, and I look forward to hearing your valuable insights on Saturday, July 18, if you can make it. Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to forward this email to anyone interested in joining the conversation.
Infrastructure & Resources
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Shared infrastructure between aquaculture/wild
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On water/ working waterfront
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Input supply chain,
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gear/equipment, boat maintenance, storage
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Output supply chain,
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distribution & transportation, utilities, roads, power, cold chain storage
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Policy, Regulation
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Local Ordinances
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Community Engagement
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Helpful NGO/ Support Organizations, Social License, Community, Relationships, Work Force
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Education
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School, Trainings, Apprenticeships
Environmental & Geographic
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Available sites
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Water quality
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Temperature, Nutrients, Current, Biotoxin, Nutrients
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Open vs. closed areas
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Extreme weather events
Economic & Market
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Market trends,
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Market access
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Available loans and grants
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Secondary income & diversification opportunities
This analysis is part of a project aimed at supporting local aquaculture businesses and workforce development in Washington County. The project is funded by a grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission. It is led by the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, the Sunrise County Economic Council, and the Downeast Institute.
https://storage.googleapis.com/juniper-media-library/174/2026/07/Milbridge & Steuben AQ SWOT Analysis.pdf