July 11, 2025 — Lawmakers from the U.S. state of Maine have passed multiple pieces of legislation designed to improve aquaculture operations in the state, including protections for aquaculture operations from nuisance complaints, revisions to aquaculture lease renewals, and the development of a Working Waterfront Infrastructure Engineer Corps.
All five bills, which have now become law, were introduced by Maine Representative Morgan Rielly (D-Westbrook).
LD 1595 would extend the protections Maine grants commercial fishers from nuisance complaints to aquaculture companies, ensuring those operations are not stymied by frivolous complaints about noise or smells.
“I have heard time and again that coastal landowners who don’t want to hear, see, or smell aquaculture operations unfairly file nuisance complaints against our aquaculture workers, which can put a halt to the work and food production Mainers rely on,” Rielly said in a release. “They deserve the same protections as our commercial fishermen, and I am glad that they will soon have those protections.”