This polygon shapefile represents aquaculture regions in the northeastern United States. Aquaculture in the northeast region is a diverse, vibrant industry with a large potential for growth. Massachusetts is ranked as the seventh largest producer of farmed shellfish in the nation. Oysters and other shellfish are predominant products of the industry; however finfish hatcheries comprise a significant segment of the sector as well, especially in Maine and New Hampshire. This layer depicts current working marine aquaculture facilities in the northeast region, drawing on the best available information from Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Eastern Suffolk County, New York aquaculture coordinators and programs. The Northeast Ocean Data Portal working group is continuing to work with aquaculture coordinators in each state to fill current data gaps and improve the accuracy of existing datasets. As such, this dataset should be considered a work in progress. The data user is encouraged to read this and the metadata of each individual data carefully, as geometry, attribute details, and timeliness are not necessarily consistent among datasets used. To support coastal and ocean planning and other activities pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act, Energy Policy Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Rivers and Harbors Act and the Submerged Lands Act. SeaPlan. (2014). Aquaculture, Northeast United States, 2014. Northeast Ocean Data. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/pp054cb3979. Not to be used for navigation This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.