The CCMP is the national culture collection of marine phytoplankton for the USA and it is an integral part of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. The CCMP has 2466 strains from around the world in our collection, the preponderance marine phytoplankters,but we have benthic, macrophytic, freshwater and heterotrophic organisms as well.

You can search our online catalog for strains using taxonomic, geographic and other parameters. Strain records have (when available) collection and isolation information, culturing medium recipes and growth conditions, photographs, GenBank accession link, a collection site map, and a link to the taxonomic database Micro*scope.

The CCMP offers a course in phytoplankton culturing techniques and facilities for visiting scientists are available at our laboratories in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

We get you started. You can begin your experiment or process with:

• Starter cultures for those with culture facilities
• Large culture volumes and cell pellets/DNA extracts
• culture medium kits, pre-mixed culture medium, and filtered seawater,
• and on-demand isolation and purification services.