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 lawsuits around shell companies..
Protect Maine (PM) does not support large scale industrial aquaculture and neither do many others around the world from Tasmania, to Scotland, to an outright ban on net pen salmon in Argentina. A number of organizations are concerned about what is going on with Cooke and the Maine waters. PM is working on investigating if damage has been done to the bottom of the ocean underneath net pens and if so, how much damage has been done.
People up and down the coast are paying attention to what’s going on with their waters and want a greater say in their future. PM firmly believes it is each community’s right to exercise its authority under home rule and decide what is in the best interest of its voters. PM offers a pathway for communities who might not afford to write their own moratorium as a steppingstone - but again – each community should decide for itself. Several towns have adopted moratoriums on aquaculture and several more are working on it.
I hope Mr. Belle isn’t saying the towns that proactively seek to protect their natural resources have bad motives. Many wild harvesters have seen firsthand the impacts of large-scale industrial aquaculture in terms of environmental issues to loss of the bottom. Harvesters are concerned about the drive to push aquaculture at any cost.
To separate the wheat from the chafe so to speak here are some facts:
Protect Maine supports small scale aquaculture and has testified in support of appropriate leases when asked.
Protect Maine is concerned about the lack of ongoing oversight from the state and the push for aquaculture at any cost.
Protect Maine believes the state should be willing to update lease requirements, including adopting other state best practices to reduce stakeholder conflicts.
Protect Maine believes the state needs to develop a plan for the future of aquaculture that includes all stakeholder voices
The Maine Aquaculture Association & Mr. Belle have no interest in conversations that consider all stakeholders, because it doesn’t serve the interests of the industrial scale aquaculture that funds their activities and wallets.
One last point – I was the first president of Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation and am now a director – but I am also a scalloper and a former lobsterman. Two other board members including the current President are lobstermen and both have signed their name to this article. When you read things like, “group does not protect state’s fisherman” – I ask you – Why would we be involved with a group that would work against our interests? There is a simple answer: We wouldn’t.
I know Mainers well enough to know that they can read between the lines. They can easily see who benefits from these attacks, who doesn’t want the discussion around the future of our coast to happen, and who desperately is attacking others because industrial scale aquaculture has a lot to lose when people start paying attention to what’s going on in our waters and how quickly aquaculture is growing. Fortunately, Protect Maine is involved because of the conversations now being had around the state and so are many, many others. Protect Maine gains nothing financially but it does and will continue to Protect Maine for all stakeholders, which is something Sebastian Bell can never claim.
Rock Alley, Jonesport Fisherman & Former President & Current Director
Adam Ulrickson, Secretary and Freeport Lobsterman
Zach Piper, President & Hancock Lobsterman
You can read more here about Cooke Aquaculture:
Massive Salmon Escape: https://www.hcn.org/issues/54-7/fish-how-a-salmon-farm-disaster-changed-northwest-aquaculture-forever/
Leases Denied: https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/aquaculture/washington-state-cancels-last-cooke-aquaculture-leases-in-puget-sound
Cooke drops lawsuit: https://www.intrafish.com/salmon/cooke-drops-effort-to-reinstate-washington-state-trout-farming-leases/2-1-1612944?zephr_sso_ott=CpL3zW
Cooke Shell Company Accusations: https://virginiamercury.com/2024/05/16/unsealed-federal-lawsuit-alleges-omega-protein-skirted-u-s-citizen-ownership-requirement/