Innovators of the coast: Gulf of Maine Inc.

Walk along any part of the Maine coast in the summer and you will see children and adults hovering over the tidepools. They pick up hermit crabs and turn over seaweed to see what lives beneath it. Live creatures fascinate us and what could be more fascinating than a sea creature?

Tim Sheehan.

Since 2000, Tim and Amy Sheehan of Pembroke have made a business from that curiosity. Their business, Gulf of Maine Inc., supplies marine specimens, seaweeds and other marine materials to clients throughout the United States and abroad.

Companies from public and private laboratories, schools, museums to interior designers, photographers and magazines seek out their products.

As the Gulf of Maine Inc. website says, “Whether supplying biological specimens for research, nutrient-rich seaweeds for culinary and wellness purposes, or unique coastal materials for creative projects, we bridge the gap between the natural world and those who study, appreciate, and utilize its resources.”

The company’s products include wild seaweeds, live and preserved specimens, bait and aquaculture feed, educational and science kits and coastal materials such as seashells.

Collections and kits are made to order and shipped overnight direct to customers across the U.S. Customers include labs, schools, supply houses, museums, artists, magazines, interior designers and people in the fishing industry.

Most of the live products the company sells are shipped live to customers. All photos courtesy of Gulf of Maine Inc.

Most products are gathered in Downeast Maine. The company’s facilities include a warehouse and an atrium, to hold live specimens and process preserved specimens, plus another facility in Freeport to hold products sourced in southern Maine. 

Gulf of Maine Inc. is expanding into international distribution after signing an agreement in 2025 with Avantor, a Pennsylvania company that provides products and services to life sciences and advanced technology industries across the world. 

Avantor “has been a long-time supporter of Gulf of Maine Inc., and so this is a natural evolution of a 20-plus-year relationship,” said Sheehan in an interview at the time. “Now that we can reach more customers, it’s not only going to help us grow, but we can improve access to education and research worldwide.”