PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 20, 2022
A controversial project that Maine fishermen fear would harm the state’s lobster industry suffered a setback this week when a state agency terminated American Aquafarms’ application to operate a massive industrial fish farm in Frenchman Bay. Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher notified American Aquafarms of his decision to terminate the lease application Tuesday. American Aquafarms was proposing to raise 66 million pounds of Atlantic salmon annually at two, closed 15-pen sites in Frenchman Bay, between Bar Harbor and Gouldsboro, with each pen encompassing 60 acres. The company also proposed operating a fish processing plant in Gouldsboro. Fishermen and area residents expressed support for Keliher’s decision.