photo from Maine's "Worm King" Remembered,
by Ann Stoddard
Introduction
Maine is one of the only U.S. states that has an active marine worm fishery. The worms are used as bait by recreational fishers all over the world. Diggers harvest the worms from intertidal mud flats during low tide. The two species, the blood worm (Glycera dibranchiata) and the sand worm (Nereis virens) are packed in seaweed and shipped in boxes. Annual revenue for the fishery in 2020 was about $8.7 million paid to the harvesters.
Marine Worm Fishery Links
- Maine commercial worm digging license application - go to LEEDs to apply online, or look for "Shellfish, Green Crab, Worm Harvesting, and Aquaculture Application" for a paper application
- Maine bloodworm and sandworm landings data
- Maine marine worm license laws (dealers §6853 and harvesters §6751)
- Maine marine worm harvest law §6771
- Maine marine worm recreational (personal use) harvest limit law §6752
- DMR Regulations (go to Chapter 28. Also see Chapter 90 for the Wiscasset closure area)
- Independent Maine Marine Worm Harvesters Association Facebook page
For More Information
PDF files below may require free Adobe Reader software (download here) to view or print.
- Maine's Marine Baitworm Fishery — Poster — PDF file, 1 page, 770 kb
- Maine's "Worm King" Remembered by Ann Stoddard — Booklet — PDF file, 33 pages, 7 MB
- ArcGIS layer (map layer data) of marine worm habitats in Maine compiled in 2005
- Life history and environmental requirements of sand worms and blood worms (1988 US Fish & Wildlife Service PDF file, 33 pages, 1,1 MB)
- Excellent article and pictures in Angler Journal about digging worms in Maine, 2017
