Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine's oyster producers relied on restaurants as their primary market. The closure of restaurants across the U.S. last spring threw oyster farmers for a loop, as the half-shell market dried up virtually overnight. This shock forced growers to quickly pivot and come up with creative solutions to sell oysters and sustain their business. Within weeks, oyster farmers had begun to make serious investments in pandemic-proof business strategies like local seafood home delivery, seafood markets, and direct sales off the farm. As more and more farms started to use social media to advertise local oyster sales, farm tours, and pop-up shucking events throughout the summer, the need for a centralized location to help local consumers find oysters became urgent.
The Maine Oyster Trail fills this need by providing an interactive, digital tourism tool that connects users to Maine oyster farms, their products, and Maine businesses that offer authentic Maine oyster experiences. Visitors from near and far use the Trail's customizable trip planner to find activities that match their preferences. The Trail's digital oyster passport allows users to check-in at locations along the Trail and receive free prizes for completing various challenges. The Maine Oyster Trail launched in June, 2021 and features Maine 52 oyster farms, 15 raw bars and mobile shuck trucks, and 8 boat tour and kayak outfits that offer oyster tours along the coast of Maine. By marketing the Maine oyster experience, the Trail builds market demand not only for Maine oysters, but also for a new kind of visitor experience that we like to call "aquatourism."
While this project is focused in Maine, the Trail model can be replicated in other states and regions and can serve as an important example of how a best-in-class food trail can diversify the aquaculture industry and ultimately make it more resilient in the face of changing market conditions.