SPECTRUM NEWS • March 17, 2023
The Sierra Club and others want to beef-up the regulation of industrial aquaculture facilities in Maine. Opponents, however, say that could stop job creators from coming to the state. Spurred by proposals for five large fish farms since 2018, supporters of a new bill say the state lacks the ability to consider the cumulative effects of the industry. Large-scale facilities to grow salmon or yellowtail have been proposed for Belfast, Bucksport, Jonesport, Millinocket and Frenchman Bay off Bar Harbor. None have yet been built. The proposed legislation would require the Department of Marine Resources to ensure that new land-based facilities — which excludes the Frenchman Bay proposal — would not degrade water or air quality or increase carbon emissions.