ABOUT US

What Is an L3C, and Why We Chose It

An L3C, or low-profit limited liability company, is a legal business structure designed to pursue a socially beneficial mission first, with profit as a secondary goal. That sets it apart from a traditional LLC, which exists to maximize returns, and from a nonprofit, which cannot operate with the same business flexibility. Maine Mollusks L3C chose this structure because it lets us operate like a business while legally prioritizing our mission of coastal water stewardship and marine heritage protection over profit maximization. It also allows mission-aligned partnerships and funding that a purely for-profit entity could not pursue as credibly.

OUR MISSION & VALUES

Stewarding Maine's Coastal Waters

Our focus is coastal water stewardship and ecological restoration. We work to protect water quality in estuaries and tidal rivers, support healthy bivalve populations, and restore habitat conditions that let shellfish aquaculture thrive sustainably.

We are equally committed to protecting local marine heritage: preserving the traditions and knowledge tied to Maine's bivalve harvesting culture, including surf clams, oysters and mussels, and ensuring future generations can continue working these waters responsibly.

OUR ORIGIN

Why We Began Working Maine's Waters

Maine Mollusks L3C's work took root in places like the Damariscotta River and Pemaquid, where our founders saw firsthand the connection between healthy bivalve populations and the health of the broader coastal ecosystem. The organization grew out of collaboration with regional partners such as the Downeast Institute and Coastal Enterprises, Inc., who shared a commitment to shellfish aquaculture research and bivalve education. That grounded, place-based start shaped our ongoing focus on hands-on restoration work and public education, shared in part through channels like our Instagram presence, rather than abstract advocacy.