PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 12, 2023
A recent report from the Seafood Economic Accelerator for Maine, a statewide initiative to bolster economic growth and improve resiliency for the seafood sector, estimates that Maine’s seafood industry annually generates about 57 million pounds of waste – about 25% of its total seafood production. This waste, known as seafood residuals, can be used in myriad ways across numerous industries, and experts believe it has serious economic potential. Converting waste from salmon, eel and other marine species into consumer and biomedical products has opened a new and lucrative path for Maine's seafood industry. Maine companies could see a 7% to 20% return on investment for residuals.