PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 13, 2021
A Maine legislator who hopes to stave off industrial aquaculture and protect lobstermen and women from what he sees as a “large storm” headed for the industry is proposing a bill that small aquaculture farmers say could sink them. The bill proposed by Rep. Robert Alley, D-Beals, would revamp the permitting framework for state aquaculture leases, restrict the size of a lease and the number of leases and acres a person can hold, require leases be turned over to the state when they expire, remove an exemption from the Natural Resources Protection Act for leases over 5 acres, and require that the department “develop a strategic aquaculture plan with input from leaders in aquaculture, lobstering, fishing, tourism and recreation, environmental and water quality. Applications for new aquaculture leases have more than tripled in five years. “This bill threatens our freedom to operate, adapt and build on everything that I’ve worked for the majority of my life,” said Cameron Barner, co-owner of Love Point Oysters in Harpswell.