Saving Seafood

Researchers study temperature impacts on lobster larvae

July 29, 2022 — Researchers with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), along with partners from Hood College, the University of New England, and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, work from June through October each year since 2018 to catch and study the crustaceans in their tiny larval stage to understand how temperature influences where they choose to move and live at the bottom of the ocean.

Within the last two decades, the Gulf of Maine has been warming faster than 99 percent of the rest of the world’s oceans, according to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. This research could help scientists and fishermen alike understand if climate change pushes lobster populations to cooler waters.

Read the full article at News Center Maine

Maine’s oyster industry sees record sales as more farmers cash in

June 27, 2022 — Maine oyster sales nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021, according to recent data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The increase in sales comes from more farmers sprouting along the Maine coast and higher demand after a volatile economic state brought on by the pandemic.

But now, oysters are being celebrated, with the Maine Oyster Festival in Freeport showcasing dozens of oyster farmers, many of which just opened up in the last few years.

“I’m just so excited it’s a beautiful day, a gorgeous day and cool to see everyone out,” Ally Sortwell of Lebanon, Maine, said.

The oyster farmers cashed in on the warm Sunday as sell-outs were reported during the three-day weekend.

Eric Oransky and his crew at Maine Ocean Farms started seeding oysters in 2017 and said hard work and years of waiting go into one oyster.

Read the full story at News Center Maine

 

Maine relief plan seeks to buoy seafood industry

June 27, 2022 — Maine Gov. Janet Mills is diverting $8.3 million in federal funding to help the state’s seafood industry absorb the impact of rising costs from inflation and new whale protection rules.

The funding, which will be provided by the state Department of Marine Resources, will be used to reimburse commercial fishermen, dealers, processors, and aquaculturists for the cost of their 2022 licenses and associated fees. The department will also waive lease fees for commercial leases this year through a separate process, the Mills administration says.

“Maine’s commercial fishing and seafood industry is a crucial cornerstone of our economy, and they are facing unprecedented increases in costs,” Mills said in a statement. “This puts money back in the pockets of Maine’s fishermen, aquaculturists and dealers to help them offset growing business expenses, hopefully providing a small measure of relief for them.”

The initial round of payments, totalling $4.2 million, will be mailed by the end of this month for commercial fishermen who purchased their license between Nov. 15 and March 31, according to the Mills administration. Reimbursements for licenses purchased during the remainder of 2022 will be mailed separately.

Read the full story at The Center Square

MAINE: American Aquafarms says, “We’re not going anywhere”

June 2, 2022 — American Aquafarms has appealed a recent decision by the Maine Department of Marine Resources to terminate two lease applications for a proposed salmon farm in Frenchman Bay.

The DMR terminated the Norwegian-back company’s applications to grow 66 million pounds of Atlantic salmon annually at two sites near Bald Ledge and Long Porcupine Island because American Aquafarms “failed to fulfill its legal obligation to demonstrate an available source of fish to be cultivated at its proposed salmon farms in Frenchman Bay,” according to a statement released by DMR on April 20.

American Aquafarms is asking the court to vacate the DMR’s decision and send the applications back to the department for continued consideration. The DMR, in a statement, said it stands behind its decision to terminate the lease applications.

The reason for termination, according to the DMR, lies in the proposed egg stock that American Aquafarms had listed in its application. “The source of Atlantic salmon proposed by American Aquafarms, AquaBounty of Newfoundland, Canada, did not meet the criteria for a ‘Qualified Source/Hatchery’ as defined in DMR regulations,” and that the company “failed to provide documentation demonstrating that the proposed source of fish/eggs could meet genetic requirements in law.”

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

Frenchman Bay salmon farm developer sues Maine for spiking its lease application

May 31, 2022 — The company behind a controversial plan to build an industrial-scale salmon farm in Frenchman Bay is taking its case to court after the Maine Department of Marine Resources terminated its lease application last month.

American Aquafarms filed a complaint against the state in Cumberland County Superior Court last week. The Portland company, funded by Norwegian investors, proposed raising 66 million pounds of Atlantic salmon annually at two closed, 15-pen sites in Frenchman Bay, between Bar Harbor and Gouldsboro, with each pen encompassing 60 acres. The company also proposed operating a fish processing plant in Gouldsboro.

In its complaint, American Aquafarms alleges that the department’s decision was not supported by evidence. It also claims that the department spoke with a third party without its knowledge just days before the decision, violating American Aquafarms’ right to due process.

The state’s marine regulatory body terminated the application April 19. There were two major issues with it, said Jeff Nichols, department spokesperson.

First, the company failed to find a proper source for its fish eggs, according to Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the department. The hatchery listed in the application, AquaBounty in Newfoundland, is not on Maine’s list of qualified egg sources.

American Aquafarms also failed to show that the proposed hatchery satisfied genetic requirements mandated by state law, Keliher said.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Maine’s struggling Atlantic herring fishery gets boost from NOAA disaster assistance

May 9, 2022 — NOAA Fisheries has awarded Maine $7,191,787 to provide disaster assistance for the state’s struggling Atlantic herring fishery. NOAA Fisheries will work with the Maine Department of Marine Resources to administer these funds.

“The drastic reduction in Atlantic herring quotas has caused significant losses in primary income and threatened job security for many in the herring industry,” said Senator [Susan] Collins, in a news release. “Given the unstable status of our Atlantic herring fishery, and its role in supporting Maine’s iconic lobster industry, I advocated for the State of Maine’s commercial fishery failure declaration request.  This financial assistance provided through the designation is crucial to the survival of Maine’s Atlantic herring fishery.”

Read the full story at the Penbay Pilot

Maine fishermen set record for value of catch in 2021

May 4, 2022 — Maine’s fishing industry set a state record for the value of seafood species brought to the docks in 2021.

Maine is one of the most important commercial fishing states in the country, in part because it’s home to by far the largest lobster fishing industry. The Maine Department of Marine Resources said Monday the value of commercially harvested species in 2021 was more than $890 million.

The previous record of more than $733 million was set in 2016.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Maine’s fisherman report record $890M haul

May 3, 2022 — Maine’s commercial fishing industry set a new record last year, with a historic haul valued at more than $980 million, according to newly released data.

Figures from the state Department of Marine Resources show the value of fish landings jumped by more than $350 million between 2020 and 2021, breaking a previous record.

By far, lobster landings were the most valuable commercial fishery in Maine last year, with more than $730 million in landed value at an average wholesale price of $6.71 per-pound, according to the state agency. Lobsters were followed by soft shell clams, which were the second-most valuable species, with harvesters reporting more than $25 million in sales.

Elver fishermen reported more than $16 million in landings, making it the third most valuable fishery last year, the agency said. The elver fishery grew from $525 to $1,831 per pound between 2020 and 2021, according to the landings data.

Read the full story at The Center Square 

American Aquafarms expected to take a ‘pause’ to figure out future of salmon farm

April 22, 2022 — The future of one of the most controversial aquaculture proposals in Maine history remains uncertain after its application was cut short by state regulators this week.

An official at American Aquafarms said the Norwegian-backed company that wanted to grow Atlantic salmon in nets pens in Frenchman Bay would likely consider its options following the Department of Marine Resources’ termination of its lease applications.

“The DMR response is perplexing to say the least, and the way it has been communicated is a surprise,” Thomas Brennan, American Aquafarms’ director of project development, wrote in a brief email Thursday. “I expect the company owners are taking a pause to understand what this all means for the future.”

The Maine Department of Marine Resources said Wednesday it would no longer review the company’s application for two 60-acre leases off Gouldsboro because American Aquafarms had failed to select an approved salmon egg source.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

AquaBounty salmon eggs cited as reason for Maine’s rejection of American Aquafarms permit

April 22, 2022 — The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) in the U.S. state of Maine rejected American Aquafarms permit application for a closed-net salmon farm specifically because its source for eggs – AquaBounty’s hatchery in Newfoundland, Canada – did not meet the state’s criteria for a qualified source.

According to DMR spokesperson Edward Hardy, the agency “terminated the applications of American Aquafarms after the company failed to fulfill its legal obligation to demonstrate an available source of fish to be cultivated at its proposed salmon farms in Frenchman Bay.”

Read the full story at SeafoodSource