New York and Connecticut’s Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Viewer

The Aquaculture Viewer is an interactive map that aids in identifying potential locations for shellfish and seaweed farms. Read below to learn more about the map’s applications and how to use it.

The New York and Connecticut Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Viewer is an interactive online map that provides spatial information for all of New York’s Marine and Coastal District and Connecticut’s Coastal Area. The map provides detailed information on natural resources, environmental conditions, navigation, regulatory requirements, and potential use conflicts, which cumulatively aid in the identification of potential locations for shellfish and seaweed farms.

A Story Map Guide to Introduce Users to the Aquaculture Viewer

the photo includes a title for the guide to the New York and Connecticut viewer and a photo of a aquaculture farm.

Before launching the Viewer, we recommend reading A Guide to New York and Connecticut’s Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Viewer, an ArcGIS story map that introduces the Aquaculture Viewer and its resources through an online, interactive narrative. The story map provides links to additional resources and websites. Find the story map on the NYSDEC ArcGIS website.

In addition, instructions on how to use the Aquaculture Viewer are available as a pdf download.

More Information and Launching the Aquaculture Viewer

The base map for the Aquaculture Viewer.

The New York and Connecticut Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Viewer is an interactive online map that provides spatial information for all of New York’s Marine and Coastal District and Connecticut’s Coastal Area to assist prospective, new, or current aquaculture growers in siting new or expanding shellfish and seaweed operations. The tool is designed to provide information to help potential shellfish and seaweed growers and other users of the coastal area assess conditions based on existing datasets and help identify potential risks and long-term suitability for particular areas. Spatial information included in the Aquaculture Viewer is updated in real-time.

The Aquaculture Viewer is made possible by using data from local, state and federal sources.  The Long Island Sound Study thanks the following entities for the use of their data: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM); CT Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Aquaculture (CT DA/BA); University of Connecticut’s Center for Land use Education and Research (CLEAR); CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP); Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Northeast Ocean Data Portal; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC); NYS Department of State (NYS DOS); Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP); South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER), Suffolk County, NY; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Towns of Brookhaven and Islip, NY; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Additionally, The Connecticut Mapping Atlas, developed by UConn CLEAR and the Connecticut Sea Grant Program, in collaboration with the CT DA/BA, has been an invaluable resource in developing this project.


New York and Connecticut’s Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Viewer is an effort of the Nutrient Bioextraction Initiative, which is a collaboration between the NYSDEC, the Long Island Regional Planning Council, and NEIWPCC. The Nutrient Bioextraction Initiative is part of NYSDEC’s multi-faceted Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) and is funded by the Long Island Sound Study.

For comments or questions on the Aquaculture Viewer, please contact NYSDEC, Division of Water, Region 1 at [email protected].

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