September 20, 2021 — The Planning Board was charged Thursday night with drafting a moratorium prohibiting any proposed large-scale aquaculture projects in town from consideration for six months. The Select Board’s directive is intended to provide time to review and possibly revamp the town’s current regulations and give town officials greater authority over open-ocean finfish farms seeking to locate a processing plant, hatchery or other infrastructure on land in town.
At its meeting Thursday night, the Select Board voted 5-0 to direct the Planning Board to review and refine the draft “Town of Gouldsboro Moratorium Ordinance — Aquaculture Development” before presenting it to townspeople at a public hearing. Then, voters will have the final say on the proposed aquaculture development moratorium at a special town meeting. The impetus to put the question soon to voters is being driven by the Select Board’s concern that the town’s “quality of life and health and safety” could be jeopardized in the near future unless its regulations are updated to include finfish farms whose ocean sites comprise 10 acres or more.
At the Select Board’s request, attorney Tim Pease of Rudman Winchell of Bangor drew up the draft moratorium and gave an overview to the few dozen citizens who attended Thursday’s meeting in person and via Zoom. Earlier this month, the town contracted Rudman Winchell to review Gouldsboro’s shoreland, land use zoning, solid waste and harbor ordinances and comprehensive plan and determine whether they were adequate to deal with large-scale fish farms. The answer was no.
Read the full story at the Ellsworth American