November 10th, 2016 โ Last month, lobstermen Marsden Brewer and his son, Bobby, joined a delegation of Maine fishermen and aquaculturists on a visit to Aomori on the northern coast of Japanโs major island to learn about the latest techniques for cultivating scallops.
Among their hosts was Hiroaki Sugiyama, an inventor and manufacturer of high-tech machinery used in Japanโs enormous scallop aquaculture industry.
On Monday, the Brewers returned the favor. Sugiyama arrived in the U.S. Sunday night for a four-day visit to learn about what is happening in Maineโs nascent scallop aquaculture industry. After a stop at a newly-formed aquaculture cooperative in Spruce Head, and a boat ride to visit an experimental scallop growing operation, Sugiyama and his Maine hosts traveled to Stonington for more talk about scallop aquaculture, and a terrific lunch, hosted by Marsden and Donna Brewer at their Red Barn Farm.
Brewer first travelled to Aomori in 1999 as a member of a study mission organized by the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center. Including fishermen, scientists and representatives of the University of Maine Sea Grant program, the group visited Mutsu Bay in Aomori Prefecture where the Japanese scallop is intensively cultivated both on longlines and on the seabed.