Darling Marine Center

Name

Darling Marine Center

Legal name

The Ira C. Darling Center for Research Teaching and Service

Website

https://dmc.umaine.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Research & Education Services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine science research
• Experiential marine education
• Aquaculture research
• Shellfish hatchery services
• University marine laboratory

Headquarters

HQ city

Walpole

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. University of Maine Marine Laboratory Funding: As part of the University of Maine system, DMC receives institutional funding for research and education activities
2. Philanthropic Donations: Accepts donations through University of Maine Foundation for DMC Student Research and Experiential Education Fund and other programming support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Darling Marine Center is the marine laboratory of the University of Maine, providing experiential marine science education (Semester by the Sea residential undergraduate program), research facilities (flowing seawater laboratories, shellfish hatchery, experimental aquaculture lease sites), and a business incubator for marine aquaculture startups. It generates and shares knowledge of coastal marine ecosystems through faculty-led research, industry partnerships, and community science programs along the Damariscotta River Estuary.

Product overview

The Darling Marine Center (DMC) is the marine laboratory of the University of Maine, operating as a research, education, and community engagement facility established in 1965. The DMC's offerings consist of experiential educational programs (Semester by the Sea), research facilities (aquaculture hatcheries, lease sites, research vessels, scientific diving), and business incubation services for marine aquaculture startups. The core programs work together to connect people to the ocean through generating and sharing knowledge of coastal marine ecosystems and human communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Semester by the Sea (SBS)

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2022Partnership in $100,000 William Procter Scientific Innovation Fund project to enhance sustainability of kelp aquaculture. DMC researchers collaborating with Woods Hole to investigate shortening kelp life cycle in nurseries.
• USDA Aquaculture Experiment StationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2020DMC hosts UMaine-USDA Aquaculture Experiment Station addressing challenges for Maine aquaculture sector including emerging diseases and climate change effects.
• Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2019Strengthening partnership between DMC and Bigelow Laboratory. Leslie (DMC Director) and Bronk (Bigelow President) collaborate on cutting-edge marine research from opposite sides of the Damariscotta River.
• Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAIC coordinates business incubator space at DMC, provides assistance with business planning, entrepreneurship training, grants for equipment and business development, and technical support. MAIC staff are co-located at DMC.
• Maine Sea GrantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located at DMC, Maine Sea Grant facilitates research-industry partnerships and offers expertise in collaborative research, technical support, site selection, equipment, animal husbandry, permitting, biosecurity, and product marketing.
• Conscience Bay ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with UMaine researchers to develop kelp aquaculture model for Gulf of Maine maximizing carbon sequestration.
• Maine Aquaculture AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association referenced for statistics on Maine kelp aquaculture growth (60x increase in value and volume over 10 years, approaching 1 million pounds in 2022).
• UMaine Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional resource for aquaculture research. Contact Deborah Bouchard, ARI Director, for inquiries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Emerging players

• Ocean Farms LLC: Maine kelp aquaculture company that has collaborated with DMC researchers on Gulf of Maine kelp aquaculture studies and carbon sequestration modeling. Represents the commercial kelp sector that DMC's Procter-funded research and incubator programs are designed to support.
• Mook Sea Farm: Maine-based commercial oyster and clam hatchery on the Damariscotta River with deep historical ties to DMC. Mook represents the commercial aquaculture side of the same Damariscotta industry ecosystem DMC serves through research, hatchery services, and incubation, making it a key industry counterpart.

Direct peers

• Hatfield Marine Science Center: Oregon State University's marine research and education campus in Newport, Oregon. Hatfield combines resident research faculty, experiential student programs, aquaculture and fisheries research, and industry partnerships — closely paralleling DMC's blended research/education/community engagement mission.
• Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center: State-funded aquaculture innovation and workforce development organization co-located at DMC. MAIC shares DMC's mission of advancing Maine's aquaculture sector through business incubation, applied research, and industry partnerships, with deep operational overlap.
• Friday Harbor Laboratories: University of Washington's marine research and teaching facility in the San Juan Islands. FHL offers analogous university-based residential marine science courses, hatchery/flowing seawater infrastructure, and research appointments in coastal ecology and aquaculture — a strong functional match for DMC's model.
• Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences: Independent marine research institution located directly across the Damariscotta River from DMC. Bigelow shares DMC's focus on coastal marine ecology, oceanography, and aquaculture science, and the two organizations actively collaborate on research initiatives, making it the closest geographic and functional peer.
• Shoals Marine Laboratory: Joint marine science field station of Cornell University and University of New Hampshire located on Appledore Island. Like DMC, Shoals offers residential, hands-on marine science education and conducts coastal research, serving as a directly comparable experiential learning and research facility on the US Atlantic coast.
• University of New England Marine Science Center: UNE's marine science teaching and research facility in Biddeford, Maine. Operates a flowing seawater lab, student research opportunities, and coastal research programs in the Gulf of Maine — directly comparable to DMC's undergraduate education and research portfolio in the same regional market.
• Romberg Tiburon Center: San Francisco State University's marine and estuarine science research and education facility in the San Francisco Bay. Provides a comparable combination of resident research faculty, student field programs, and coastal ecosystem research — a strong functional peer on the US Pacific coast.
• MDI Biological Laboratory: Independent marine and biomedical research institution in Bar Harbor, Maine. MDIBL shares DMC's nonprofit marine science research model, Maine coastal setting, and focus on workforce development and visiting scientist programs, making it a close regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/university_of_maine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheUniversityofMaine
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityofMaine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/darling-marine-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/university.of.maine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Darling Marine Center