PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 2, 2021
Poor practices in aquaculture, particularly fin-fish farming in sea pens, have had dire consequences in places around the world, where the seafloor has been polluted by fish waste and uneaten, medicated, artificial fish food. This is why an issue brewing in Down East Maine warrants very close scrutiny. It’s a project that should worry everyone who cares about our coast and our natural resource- and tourism-based economies. American Aquafarms, a Norwegian-financed company, wants to place a massive industrial salmon farm in the waters of Frenchman Bay right next to Acadia National Park. The threat to the bay’s waters and ecosystem from water pollution, fish escapes and disease is alarmingly real. And this project is in the middle of one of the most beautiful and heavily visited areas in the entire U.S. This project must be stopped. ~ Dennis Damon, Trenton, former Hancock County Commissioner and four-term state senator