BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 14, 2023
Industrial fish farming proposals, in which finned fish, like salmon or yellowtail tuna, are raised for human consumption, place Maine at a crucial crossroads. Do Mainers wish to industrialize our coastal communities and waters? Are there other visions that will sustain and strengthen our iconic local fishing economies, cultures and marine ecosystems? The primary public relations message behind large-scale aquaculture has largely been that we cannot stop marine ecosystem decline, and factory fish farming is our only choice. However, science and restoration tell a different, and a far more hopeful, story. Not only can fish populations rebound significantly, but carbon sequestration increases when marine and freshwater ecosystems are restored. ~ Susie O’Keeffe, Upstream Watch; Erin Bachmeier, Don’t Cage Our Oceans