Working the ground game: How Maine shellfish and seaweed farmers are building social license to operate

Over the past decade, the aquaculture industry in Maine has experienced steady growth. With this growth, farmers are facing new challenges–one particularly complicated challenge being social acceptance. As a result, Maine farmers have become hyper aware of their social license to operate and are actively working to gain their community's trust using a wide range of practices. To date, most of the research investigating social license in aquaculture focuses on large-scale finfish farms, as they are often more environmentally and socially impactful and draw more public attention. Through in-depth interviews with 30 Maine shellfish and seaweed farmers, this study demonstrates that social license to operate is also relevant for small to medium scale, low-trophic farms. Further, this study outlines farmer's social license work, a term that describes the various deliberate practices undertaken by businesses to obtain and maintain their social license. From proactive, voluntary outreach, to responsible operating practices, to offering tangible community benefits, farmers in Maine are crafting businesses that align with local values in an attempt to build genuine community support. Social license practices are deeply integrated into their businesses and this benefits both the farm and the broader community. • This study investigates social license for small-scale, low-trophic aquaculture farms. • Social license to operate is relevant and pressing for even small-scale, low-trophic farms. • Farmers in Maine are consciously working to align their businesses with local values. • Social license work for aquaculture farms includes voluntary, proactive outreach, responsible operating practices, and offering tangible community benefits.