A Maine oyster farm is testing a floating conveyor that moves oyster baskets through water and air

3-Dimensional Cultivation of Oysters Automated with Solar Tumbling Engineers and aquaculture experts in mid-coast Maine are testing a solar-powered floating system that could change how oysters are farmed. The platform uses a vertical conveyor to move oyster baskets between coastal waters and the open air.The system, called 3D-COAST (3-Dimensional Cultivation of Oysters Automated with Solar Tumbling), is designed to produce up to 125,000 oysters each year from a single 8-by-25-foot floating raft. Its goal is to increase oyster production while greatly reducing the physical work required from farmers.The project is led by Luke Saindon, founder of Maine aquaculture company The World's Your Oyster Co. (TWIYO), with help from regional scientific institutions.Funding records from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE) program show that $29,978 was awarded in 2025 under USDA project subaward FNE25-131. The funding supports the construction and testing of an improved commercial prototype through March 2027.How the vertical system worksTraditional oyster farming methods often use floating bags or place oysters on the seafloor. These methods require large amo...