Maine’s Marine Resources Chief Has Profane Exchange with Lobstermen

Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said “f—- you” to a man during a Thursday meeting at which fishermen assailed him for a state plan to raise the size limit for lobster.

The heated exchange came on the same day that Keliher withdrew the proposal, which came in response to limits from regional regulators concerned with data showing a 35 percent decrease in lobster population in the state’s biggest fishing area.

It comes on the heels of fights between the storied fishery and the federal government over proposed restrictions on fishing gear that are intended to preserve the population of endangered whales off the East Coast. It was alleviated by a six-year pause on new whale rules negotiated in 2022 by Gov. Janet Mills and the state’s congressional delegation.

BREAKING NEWS: Washington State Bans Commercial Net-Pen Fish Farming

Commercial net-pen aquaculture is history in Washington.

The state Board of Natural Resources on Tuesday adopted a rule banning the industry.

The ban is a victory for outgoing Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who told the board that the top duty for the Department of Natural Resources in leasing its aquatic lands is to protect them for future generations.

“There is no debate that there are impacts” from net-pen aquaculture, Franz said. “Avoiding impacts is our legal and moral responsibility. … I ask why did we ever allow this. … I am asking the board to learn from the past and the effects of our decision.”

She was reminded also, she said, that “In the last two weeks (endangered southern resident orca) Tahlequah has lost another baby calf. It is a reminder of how fragile life is and how difficult it is to reverse decline.”

The vote passed with two board members, Chris Reykdal and Wendy Powers-Schilling, abstaining. Several board members said even though they voted for the ban that additional work should continue to examine whether to facilitate fish farming in the future, on land or in Puget Sound.

Op-ed: ‘Blue Foods’ May Not Save the World

When it comes to food, the world faces a tangle of seemingly impossible choices: Increase agricultural land-use to address food insecurity and you drive deforestation and risk biodiversity collapse.  Industrialize meat production to bring prices down and you set the stage for new pandemics and imperil the welfare of billions of farmed animals. Feeding the world’s growing population without worsening parallel catastrophes has become the defining challenge of the 21st century. One could be forgiven for attempting to conjure a portal to a future that would avoid tradeoffs entirely.  

And some, it seems, have attempted to cast just such a spell: “Blue foods” is the way to save the world. 

Town Maps Fishing Areas in Effort to Reduce Aquaculture Conflicts

Harpswell’s Aquaculture Working Group has created a new map of local commercial fishing areas, urging state officials to use it when evaluating applications for aquaculture leases to help avoid conflicts with fishermen.

However, a Maine Department of Marine Resources official told the group at a recent meeting that a locally generated map can’t be used as the sole basis for denying a lease application. Still, the official praised the effort and said the map would be helpful for planning and information purposes.

The Harpswell Select Board created the working group in May based on a recommendation from the town’s Marine Resources Committee.

Protecting Maine's Fishing Heritage

This was originally published Nov. 07, 2024 in ​Quoddy Tides

Did you know that a squirrel may chatter for several reasons, including protecting its territory? Sebastian Belle recently signed an article in the Quoddy Tides, attacking everything from the mission of Protect Maine to the people involved. As you read his commentary, Belle doesn’t mention he is the executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA). Not once did he mention that he was paid by the very organization that is funded by large scale industrialaquaculture, which in turn pays his salary. The Quoddy Tides added his title at the end if you read the piece in its entirety.

Cooke Aquaculture leases more than 600 acres of the Maine coast. It is no surprise that The MAA defends Cooke Aquaculture with protective legislation, and little interest in transparency about how Cooke does business – calling many requests for information “proprietary to the company.” Meanwhile, in Washington State, Cooke has had several leases denied after a massive salmon escape and pending lawsuitsaround shell companies..

BREAKING NEWS: Maine’s Largest Industrial Fish Farm Targeted for Potential Lawsuit.

On November 14, 2024, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) filed a notice of intent to sue Cooke Aquaculture around alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation (PMFHF) stands with CLF on this potential violation of industrial scale aquaculture.  

You can read the lawsuit here.

Media coverage can be found here.

Maine-based non-profits supporting CLF’s work.