Midcoast shellfish harvesters bogged down by deadly algae bloom

TIMES RECORD • September 25, 2026

Shellfish harvesters expecting a bountiful season are now assessing their losses and bracing for what’s next after an algae bloom wiped out most of the stock in certain Midcoast bays. Town and state officials, along with scientists and shellfish harvesters, have been monitoring a significant bloom of the phytoplankton Karenia mikimotoi after it was detected in Casco Bay earlier this month. The algae bloom, which is not harmful to humans, spurred the Department of Marine Resources last week to close shellfish harvesting in Maquoit Bay in Brunswick and the eastern side of Middle Bay in Harpswell, where clam diggers noticed dramatic die-offs of softshell clams and worms. More closures could be coming.