Saving Seafood

Salmon and lobster in harmony

March 31, 2025 — There is quite a pile of evidence at this point that wild lobster populations have historically co-existed very nicely with salmon farming, but new chapters of this story continue to be written. 

Just recently, in November 2024, a lawsuit was filed by a U.S.-based environmental group Conservation Law Foundation against Cooke Aquaculture, contending that its salmon farming sites off the Maine coast involve dischargement of “pollutants such as fish feces, dead fish and trash.” 

Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, has stated publicly that the lawsuit was a surprise as this group has worked with salmon farmers to develop environmental standards. He did not respond to a request for further comment, but Joel Richardson, vice-president of Public Relations at Cooke, says it’s irresponsible for this group or anyone else to claim that modern marine finfish aquaculture harms lobsters.

“It is simply not true,” says Richardson. “Salmon aquaculture and the lobster fishery have co-existed in Atlantic Canada and Maine waters for more than 40 years under the existing environmental compliance criteria. Cooke’s Atlantic Canadian and Maine salmon farms are routinely inspected by government regulators and subject to regular monitoring reports. Lobster landings are not negatively affected by Atlantic salmon farms. In fact, lobster fishers are welcome to set lobster gear alongside and within aquaculture lease boundaries and they tell us they have success in every location where we operate. We support wild fisheries harvesters and their families 100 percent. We all need strong working waterfronts in our rural coastal communities.” 

Read the full article at Aquaculture North America

Op-ed: In suing Cooke, Conservation Law Foundation has a short memory

November 18, 2024 — Sebastian Belle is the executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, and the president of the board of directors of the National Aquaculture Association.

Prior to joining the Maine Aquaculture Association, Belle was the U.S. state of Maine’s state aquaculture coordinator, working for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. He has also served on NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee and on the board of directors of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, The Island Institute, and the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center. 

The recent announcement by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) that they intend to sue Cooke Aquaculture is a surprise given the fact that they worked closely with the salmon farmers to develop the very standards they indicate they are going to sue over.

Perhaps this is a case of staff turnover and lack of institutional memory? Or is it yet another example of big city, opportunist law firms trying to cash in on citizen lawsuits?

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Maine Aquaculture Association Responds to Inaccurate New York Times Reporting on Net Pen Salmon Farming

October 22, 2023 — The following was released by Maine Aquaculture Association:

Recent reporting in the New York Times on salmon aquaculture paints an incorrect picture of net pen salmon farming. Net pen farming is the most environmentally sustainable animal production on the planet, and our members take great pride in ensuring the welfare of the fish we raise and minimizing the environmental impacts of our operations.

Below is our letter to the Times, addressing several wrong points in the article and setting the record straight about sustainable Maine salmon farming.

October 20, 2023

Dear Editor:

The New York Times’ recent article on salmon aquaculture (“The Salmon on Your Plate Has a Troubling Cost. These Farms Offer Hope.”) gets several facts wrong and includes multiple misrepresentations about net pen farming operations. Regrettably, the Times chose to ignore information provided to them by industry professionals, instead relying on falsehoods from anti-net pen activists.

The Times states that 10 to 20 percent of salmon consumed in the U.S. is wild Pacific salmon, “but the rest is imported farmed fish.” In fact, Atlantic salmon has been farmed in coastal net pens right here in Maine since the 1970s. The Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) is the lead trade group representing this industry, which produces between 33 million and 39 million pounds of salmon annually. We are dedicated to producing healthy, delicious seafood, while practicing sustainable management that minimizes environmental impacts.

Our members work with veterinarians, biologists, and feed specialists, and meet the highest international standards, including the rigorous four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification process. We practice sustainable farming techniques, including bay management, site rotation, fallowing of farms between rotations, and strict bio-security protocols to keep our fish and environment healthy. As a result, as noted by the Times, our salmon is recommended as a “good alternative” by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Unfortunately, many of the Times’ other inclusions in the article paint a false picture of our operations.

The Times writes that salmon farming net pens face “severe crowding,” “pollute the surrounding ecosystem,” and “promote the spread of diseases and pests like sea lice, resulting in the need for antibiotics and pesticides.” The fact is that Maine is home to the only ocean-raised Atlantic salmon in America, and our net pens contain less than 4 percent fish and more than 96 percent water, giving our salmon plenty of room to swim, grow, and mimic natural schooling patterns. All of our farms adhere to rigorous environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act. Farms are closely monitored using underwater cameras and divers to ensure that healthy environmental conditions in and near the pens are maintained at all times.

Our farmers have a stewardship responsibility to care for the animals they raise. Maine-farmed salmon are raised with little or no antibiotics under the watch of veterinarians. Farm-raised salmon receive the least medicines out of all the most popular animal proteins found at the grocery store.

The Times extensively quotes Catherine Collins, one of the authors of the book Salmon Wars, which has been heavily criticized by experts for factual errors.

Ms. Collins states that “Every place where Atlantic salmon is raised in net pens, the wild population has declined by as much as 70 percent.” This is false. In Washington state, where Atlantic salmon was farmed for three decades, a 2018 biological opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service found little to no negative impact on Puget Sound species such as salmon and orcas, or their habitat. This finding was supported by a unanimous 2022 Washington State Supreme Court ruling, which concluded that fish farming in net pens would not have probable, significant adverse impacts on the environment, and that transmission from farmed Atlantic salmon to wild salmonid populations presents a low risk.

The reason wild salmon populations have declined is not net pen salmon farming, but growing seal populations, habitat loss due to development, continued commercial fishing in migratory routes, municipal waste treatment plants releasing untreated pollutants and contaminants which affect juvenile salmon and dam installations altering rivers, threatening ecological integrity, and resulting in loss of fish habitat.

While land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology shows promise, significant challenges exist, and the overall viability of large-scale full-grown-out systems is unproven. Existing projects have performed well below their design capacity and have proven to be much more complicated to manage than expected. Significant environmental concerns around RAS fish farming include the large amount of concrete and steel required to build a facility, and the huge amount of electricity required to pump water to grow fish to harvestable size. Twice the number of greenhouse gases are emitted growing salmon in an RAS system compared to net pen salmon farming.

It is also worth noting that all land-based hatcheries, RAS systems and other commercial livestock facilities must manage animal health with veterinarians to control disease and bacteria. No fish farm is immune to disease and fish mortalities, including RAS facilities.

Net pen salmon farming is the most environmentally sustainable animal production on the planet, with the lowest freshwater use and lowest carbon emissions. Freshwater and saltwater aquaculture technology is also enabling innovative new techniques to address the decline of wild salmon stocks in rivers.

All forms of food production have some environmental impact. As farmers we have a responsibility, irrespective of the farming method we use, to recognize those impacts and work collectively to reduce them. Here in Maine we have a long tradition of doing that in cooperation with ENGO organizations such as Trout Unlimited, the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Conservation Law Foundation. Demand for healthy seafood is increasing every year and net pen aquaculture will continue to play an important role in keeping Americans well-fed and healthy.

Consumers have the right to make informed decisions about the foods they eat. But they should also expect journalists at respected publications like the New York Times to tell them the truth about their options. Unfortunately, it failed to do so in its reporting on net pen aquaculture.

Sincerely,
Sebastian M. Belle
Executive Director

PBS Newshour Highlights Innovations, Challenges in Salmon Farming Industry

August 29, 2022 — Last week, the PBS Newshour featured a segment on salmon farming, addressing the challenges and innovations that have accompanied the industry’s growth. Newshour science correspondent Miles O’Brien talked to salmon farming industry members about the state of the industry and improvements being implemented. As demand for seafood increases each year, aquaculture is likely to play a major role in keeping Americans well-fed and healthy.

Below is an excerpt from the transcript of the segment. Watch the full video here.

Miles O’Brien:

Off of Swan’s Island, we boarded the ship where they monitor and feed their crop of nearly a half-million salmon. They’re kept in 16 flexible floating nets made with stainless steel fiber to guard against escapes.

We watched as they fed some of the fish using a network of submerged cameras.

Andrew Lively, Cooke Aquaculture:

He’s seeing the fish, and there’s no feed coming down through the water column.

 Miles O’Brien:

The trick is releasing the feed at just the right rate. Too fast, and it falls to the bottom of the sea, impacting the bottom line. But it also can cause an environmental problem. As the feed decomposes, it generates nitrogen, as does the fish poop.

High nitrogen levels are a persistent problem for salmon farmers.

Do you feel like you have met those challenges?

Andrew Lively:

One of the big ways to deal with that challenge is proper site location and proper density. We’re in an area that gets about a 12-foot rise and fall of water twice a day, so lots of current, lots of freshwater going through here.

 Miles O’Brien:

Even at the perfect location, fish farmers must closely monitor a myriad of factors to keep their crops healthy. 

Farmed salmon are frequently beset with serious infestations of sea lice. To combat the problem, Cooke deploys custom designed boats equipped with warm freshwater showers to clean the fish. It’s an expensive solution that might soon have an unlikely replacement.

Marine biologist Steve Eddy is director of the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research at the University of Maine.

These fish are lumpfish. Tell me about them.

 Steve Eddy:

So these are used as a cleaner fish to remove sea lice off of farmed salmon, a form of biological control.

 Miles O’Brien:

Researchers here believe one or two lumpfish per 10 salmon in a pen should be enough to delouse the whole school.

It takes about three years for a salmon to grow from egg to market. As complex and resource-intensive as aquaculture is, its sustainability compares favorably to some land-based agriculture.

Read the full transcript at PBS Newshour

New ‘Salmon Wars’ Book Is Full of Fictions. Here Are the Facts.

July 28, 2022 — Earlier this month, Macmillan Publishers released Salmon Wars, by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins, which the publisher describes as a “deep dive” into the farm-raised salmon industry. After extensively reviewing the book, Saving Seafood has identified numerous falsehoods and misrepresentations.

Aquaculture farming of finfish, shellfish, and seaweed is a key industry in many U.S. states that operates within strict regulations to provide good jobs locally and healthy, sustainable protein for the world. Maine, for example, has active ocean salmon farming operations, with Atlantic salmon raised in coastal net pens since the 1970s. Maine farms comply with clean water and pollution discharge regulations, do not use antibiotics or hormones as growth promoters, conduct and report environmental effects, and have not experienced an escape of fish since 2003. All farms are monitored by multiple regulatory and management agencies and are certified by third-party environmental programs that establish standards above those required by law. The industry has been represented by the Maine Aquaculture Association since 1978.

Farm-raised salmon operations off Black Island, Maine.

Governor Janet Mills has expressed strong support for Maine’s growing aquaculture sector. “Aquaculture represents a promising opportunity to create new jobs, strengthen and diversify our economy, and expand Maine’s reputation as a premier destination for seafood,” Governor Mills said at a roundtable in May. “I have been proud to support Maine sea farmers as they overcome the pandemic, and my Administration will continue to support the responsible growth of this industry as it creates new jobs and builds on the strong foundation of our marine economy.”

Consumers have the right to choose what foods they eat. They also have the right to make informed decisions based on unbiased facts. Here are 10 fictions spread by Salmon Wars and the real facts behind them.

FICTION: Farmed salmon are crammed into cages.

FACT: Salmon occupy less than 4 percent of a typical marine cage. Farmers intentionally keep stocking densities low so fish have room to swim, grow, and mimic natural schooling patterns.

Farmers take great care to ensure the well-being of their salmon. Fish are vaccinated against several diseases, and pristine marine cage conditions are ensured with proper siting, regular fallowing (leaving sites unused), underwater cameras, and diver inspections.

FICTION: Farmed salmon are doused with pesticides and antibiotics.

FACT: Antibiotic use on salmon farms is far lower than that of any other agricultural animal producing industry in the world. In the rare instances when treatment is necessary, it is prescribed and overseen by licensed veterinarians under the oversight of government regulators.

FICTION: Farmed salmon contain dangerous levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other contaminants.

FACT: Farm-raised salmon contain lower PCB levels than other common foods like beef, chicken, eggs, and butter, as well as most species of wild salmon. The trace amounts of PCBs in farm-raised salmon do not pose a threat to human health, and meet or exceed standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the World Health Organization. A 2007 study concluded that “regular consumption of these fish would not cause tolerable [PCB] daily intakes to be exceeded.”

The 2004 study cited repeatedly in the book has been heavily criticized for errors including flawed sampling, improper application of EPA guidelines, and failing to compare contaminant levels in salmon of the same species. But even that flawed study showed PCB levels well-below regulated levels. Citing that study also ignores nearly 20 years of progress as PCB levels — already low — have only continued to decline with the introduction of new feed ingredients.

Because farm-raised salmon is a fast-growing fish, there is little accumulation of other contaminants like mercury that can affect some types of seafood.

FICTION: Farms create toxic stews underneath them that drive away marine life.

FACT: Farmers know that pristine marine conditions are essential for high-quality salmon. When salmon farms are properly sited in deep, fast-moving waters, the massive ocean space quickly assimilates organic fish waste. Natural assimilation of organic waste is known to be a best solution from an environmental perspective. Lobsters thrive around salmon farms and catch landings remain strong in Canada and the U.S.

Farmers also use underwater cameras to properly disperse feed, carefully monitor the ocean bottom, and fallow sites (leave them unused) — all best practices that help ensure pristine marine conditions. Regulations do not allow salmon farms to continue operating if the space beneath them has been significantly impacted.

FICTION: Farmers pillage wild fisheries to create marine ingredients used in salmon feeds. For example, “overfishing” from the Gulf of Mexico to the Chesapeake Bay endangers a forage fish called menhaden.

FACT: Wild marine ingredients in salmon feed are critical to delivering high quality protein and indispensable nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids. However, marine ingredients comprise as low as 20 percent of salmon feed, and that number continues to drop. Today, a pound of wild marine ingredients produces more than a pound of farm-raised salmon, ensuring the sector is a net producer of fish.

The wild marine ingredients that are used are sourced from reputable fisheries certified by third-party organizations and/or actively participating in Fishery Improvement Projects. For example, contrary to the book’s claims, U.S. menhaden is “not overfished or experiencing overfishing,” according to fishery managers, and is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

FICTION: Between 15 and 20 percent of all farmed salmon die each year before being harvested, while the average mortality rate of chickens is 5 percent.

FACT: This data ignores the return rate of Atlantic salmon in the wild, which is as low as 5 percent. That means farm-raised salmon have a survival rate 17 times higher than wild salmon over the two-year period in which they are raised. Broiler chickens typically live for less than 2 months, making this an apples to oranges comparison at best.

FICTION: Farmed salmon spread sea lice to wild salmon, killing young wild salmon in large numbers.

FACT: Salmon farms were not found to influence levels of sea lice on wild fish, according to a 2021 report. Farmers are required, under regulation, to manage sea lice to low levels. They employ a strategic approach to combatting sea lice, combining preventative farming practices like fallowing and low stocking densities with approved treatments when necessary. They are also investing millions into research and development of “green” sea lice treatment technologies, including freshwater well boats, warm water and water pressure systems, broodstock development, and “cleaner” fish.

FICTION: Farmed salmon introduced Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) and Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV) to wild sockeye salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

FACT: Neither ISA nor PRV were introduced to the Pacific Northwest by farm-raised salmon. In 2011, tests conducted by government researchers concluded there were no cases of ISA in Pacific Northwest salmon. Cases of PRV in wild salmon predate the arrival of farm-raised salmon, with a 2015 study finding PRV in Pacific Northwest salmon as far back as the 1970s. PRV and ISA do not affect human health in any way.

FICTION: Farmed salmon and wild salmon frequently interbreed, producing hybrids that weaken wild salmon populations.

FACT: Farmers are highly motivated to prevent their stock from escaping, and today escape events are rare. There are many reasons that farm-raised salmon are unlikely to interbreed with wild salmon, or generally compete with them for resources should they escape their enclosures. Farm-raised salmon, being domestic animals, are poorly suited to a wild environment and generally do not survive long enough in the wild to breed or learn to seek prey. On the west coast of the U.S. and Canada, farm-raised Atlantic salmon are genetically distinct from wild Pacific salmon, making them extremely unlikely to interbreed.

For context, over 5 billion salmon are purposely released from aquaculture facilities around the world — a practice known as “enhancement” or “ocean ranching” — and do share ocean space with wild salmon.

FICTION: Like “Big Tobacco” and “Big Agribusiness,” “Big Fish” employs counter-science and public relations campaigns to undermine challenges.

FACT: Farmers participate in studies because it is their salmon and nutritional data that help power them, and because they are committed to adhering to best science in their practices. Cherry picking science to support a narrative is not a best practice. Farmers consider all reputable scientific findings to guide their operations.

Groups question aquaculture “roadmap”

May 5, 2022 — A group of scientists, students and organizations earlier this spring wrote a letter to the director of the Maine Sea Grant program expressing concern about a recently released 10-year plan for the state’s growing aquaculture industry.

The Maine Aquaculture Roadmap 2022-2032 was produced by the Maine Aquaculture Hub, a network founded by five organizations: Maine Sea Grant, the Maine Aquaculture Association, the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, Coastal Enterprises Inc. and the University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute. Prior to the report’s release, the writers held a series of focus groups to gather input from interested parties, including aquaculturists, fishermen, government agencies, academics, environmental groups, nonprofits and others.

But critics, in a letter to Gayle Zydlewski, director of Maine Sea Grant, voiced concerns regarding “the framing; timing; representativeness of participants; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and limited focus on education.”

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

 

‘Roadmap’ plots aquaculture’s needs, future in Maine

February 2, 2022 — As aquaculture and its contribution to the state economy grow, so does the need to support it. 

The Maine Aquaculture Association and Maine Sea Grant released the Maine Aquaculture Roadmap 2022-2032 last week, a 10-year plan developed with feedback from nearly 100 organizations and companies. It outlines four main goals and identifies $15 million in resources needed to strengthen the commercial aquaculture industry and working waterfronts across the state. 

“Aquaculture is clearly a priority for Maine, and we needed a forward-looking, research-driven plan to responsibly sustain Maine’s marine farming sector. Now we have one that supports Maine’s farm families and the future of the working waterfront,” said Fiona de Koning, a shellfish farmer and owner of Acadia Aqua Farms in Bar Harbor. 

A 2017 economic impact report by the Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Maine noted that the economic impact of aquaculture tripled between 2007 and 2014, from $50 million to $137 million. 

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Maine Aquaculture Association releases first-of-its-kind occupational standards for industry

October 22, 2021 — The Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) released occupational standards for the state’s aquaculture industry this week, publicly setting the bar for workforce skills and training needs in the marine finfish, land-based recirculating aquaculture system, land-based shellfish hatchery, and marine shellfish and sea vegetable sectors.

According to the organization, this is the first occupational standards document in the country for the aquaculture industry.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

SEBASTIAN BELLE: Time to stand up for the working waterfront

April 30, 2021 — Let’s get the record straight. Fishermen and sea farmers have been coexisting along the coast of Maine for many years; we all make our living on the sea. The Maine Aquaculture Association was established in 1977. We depend on Maine’s clean ocean and healthy ecosystems to produce the world’s best seafood. We preserve Maine’s working waterfronts by building and supporting marine businesses.

Maine fishermen apply for permits or licenses to harvest a public resource. Sea farmers apply for leases and a series of licenses and permits to access public space and operate their farms raising mussels, oysters, kelp and salmon. No aquaculture leases issued in Maine grant the exclusive use of an area; they all allow for varying degrees of multiple use. Current law prohibits the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) from issuing a lease to a farmer if it does not comply with a series of criteria designed to protect the environment, prevent conflicts with other user groups, prevent interference with navigation and prevent obstruction of riparian landowners’ access to the water. In addition, all aquaculture leases issued in the state of Maine are a contract between the farmer and the state and include a series of conditions that, if violated, trigger the revocation of that lease. To be clear, it is illegal for DMR to issue a lease if it conflicts with an existing commercial fishery. In other words, existing fishing grounds are prioritized over proposed aquaculture sites. The lobbyists want the state Legislature to study this system, costing the state and businesses time and money. This is an attack by a few landowners on the many who work on the water. There have been some contentious ideas, and those who have been through this in the past know we have a system to verify that any development is of benefit to all.

This recent well-funded lobbyist effort by landowners to prevent us from making a living on the waterfront threatens all those who make a living on the sea. The real opposition to lease applications is coming from a few wealthy coastal landowners who do not want to see a working waterfront. These “not in my backyard” folks and their highly paid consultants and lawyers pressure legislators to radically change the rules and regulations that apply to aquaculture. Those rules and regulations are the product of 40 years of public discussion and legislative deliberation. Maine’s aquaculture leasing and environmental monitoring laws are the gold standard; delegations of fishermen, regulators and politicians often visit Maine from other states and countries to see how we manage the aquaculture sector.

Read the full opinion piece at Mount Desert Islander

Northeast seaweed: Maine production continues to climb; doubling projected by 2025

January 29, 2021 — Seaweed continues to be a promising industry in coastal communities along the U.S. East and West coasts. Globally, the industry is valued at $12 billion, but commercial growth could be boosted by improved processing infrastructure and expanded markets.

While 95 percent of edible seaweed products in the United States are imported, there is a wild and growing cultivated harvest in the Northeast. A March 2020 study published by the Island Institute, titled “Edible Seaweed Market Analysis,” looked at growth potential in Maine’s edible seaweed markets over the next 15 years. The report found that production in Maine will grow about 12 to 15 percent annually over the next decade and is expected to more than double seaweed production by 2025.

Sugar kelp and alaria aquaculture are low-barrier and relatively affordable. They provide value-added opportunities for commercial fishermen and local economies, particularly where wild fisheries have declined. Maine Department of Maine Resources data on farm raised seaweed indicates that in 2018, 53,564 wet pounds valued at $37,897 were landed. In 2019, 280,612 wet pounds valued at $176,132 were landed.

Atlantic Sea Farms, a large commercial seaweed farm in Maine with 24 partner farmers, grew 30,000 pounds of seaweed in 2018. This year, the company planted enough for 800,000 pounds. The crop Atlantic Sea Farms cultivates ends up in products including fresh and frozen seaweed in pureed cubes and ready-to-eat and fermented products.

Read the full story at National Fisherman