PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 8, 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 multibillion-dollar fish feed industry is devastating local food economies in India and Latin America while destroying forage fish populations. Maine has already fielded proposals for both land-based and in-shore ocean facilities across the state. An executive order directs NOAA to establish aquaculture opportunity areas, or areas deemed ideal for large aquaculture projects like finfish farms. The restoration and protection of Maine’s marine and freshwater ecosystems will benefit our local fishing, lobstering, small-scale aquaculture and coastal communities. ~ Susie O’Keeffe, Upstream Watch; Erin Bachmeier, Don’t Cage Our Oceans