Acadia National Park Archives

Troubled waters: A massive salmon farm off the coast of Maine is stalled

April 26, 2022 — The summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in the northeastern U.S. state of Maine offers sweeping, unobstructed views of Frenchman Bay. Surrounded by islands and rocky shorelines, the bay is known throughout Maine for recreation and resources. But new projects may lie over the horizon. American Aquafarms, backed by Norwegian investors, planned to build the largest salmon farm in North America here, just on the edge of Acadia National Park. And lobstermen, like Jerry Potter, say they feared that if the project went through, the pristine waters of Frenchman Bay would never be the same.

“It’s going to ruin the ecosystem of the bay and ruin all the resources … mussels, shrimp, lobsters, crabs, everything,” said Potter, 76, from the nearby town of Gouldsboro.

American Aquafarms first proposed the salmon farm in 2020, in hopes that they would produce 30 million metric tons of salmon each year. The farm would also curb the U.S. reliance on imported seafood, according to Tom Brennan, the director of project management at American Aquafarms. The US currently imports 70-85% of its seafood, about half of which is produced through aquaculture.

But the massive project is now indefinitely delayed. On April 19, 2022, state officials terminated American Aquafarm’s application, citing that American Aquafarms failed to provide documentation that the egg source proposed to stock the pens would meet state requirements. In Maine, genetically modified fish cannot be used to stock salmon pens, however American Aquafarms proposed to work with the company that created the first genetically modified Atlantic salmon.

Brennan is shocked by the decision, stating that the company also included eggs from the USDA as a backup plan in the proposal. That facility was established to provide eggs to salmon growers in Maine, he adds.

Read the full story at Mongabay

MAINE: More than 125 boats participate in protest on Frenchman Bay

August 30, 2021 — More than 125 boats chugged across Frenchman Bay on Sunday to protest plans by American Aquafarms to place an industrial salmon farm in the bay off the coast of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

Organizers of the “Save the Bay” flotilla said it demonstrates the depth of opposition to the proposed salmon farm. The parade of boats included working lobster boats as well as pleasure craft.

The flotilla passed by the Bar Harbor town pier, where people stood holding signs in opposition to the fish farm.

Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation helped organize Sunday’s protest. The foundation and other parties are concerned that the fish farm will have negative environmental implications on the bay and its users.

American Aquafarms describes itself on its website as an American company that is in the process of establishing a hatchery, fish farm facilities – for both Atlantic salmon and cod – and a state-of-the art processing plant in coastal Maine.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Right whale advocates’ billboard asks if lobster is “whale-safe” 

August 10, 2021 — As drivers head through Massachusetts to Vacationland on their way to scenic Mount Desert Island and the wonders of Acadia National Park, they may see a sight that would get a lobsterman’s blood boiling.  

Mainers Guarding Right Whales, a nonprofit organization that says its mission is to help save the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from extinction, has launched a new campaign with a billboard that asks, “Is your lobster whale-safe?”  

Readers are prompted to text a number that tells them that there is no certification program that ensures Maine lobster is “whale-safe” and that the organization calls for the implementation of “ropeless” fishing, a technology that takes vertical ropes out of the water column. The technology has not made its way to wide commercial use.   

“We believe if we can educate and inform travelers about the near extinction of right whales and the cause, they will take action and help protect the whales,” said Barbara Skapa, the founder and executive director of Mainers Guarding Right Whales. “The fishing industry in Maine has a long history of adapting to change in the face of new challenges, and we believe with the right support it will do just that. The biggest challenge is that ropeless technology is costly and requires sustained governmental subsidization to equip Maine’s lobster fisheries.” 

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

MAINE: U.S. Interior Secretary to visit Acadia National Park on Friday

June 17, 2021 — U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will visit Maine on Friday to talk with state and tribal leaders about the Biden administration’s support for public lands.

Haaland will join Gov. Janet Mills and all four members of Maine’s Congressional delegation at Schoodic Point, a smaller and lesser-known part of Acadia National Park located on a peninsula in eastern Hancock County.

The visit kicks off with a special sunrise musical performance by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and several Wabanaki musicians at 4:05 a.m. That event is by invitation only.

Haaland is the first Biden administration Cabinet member to visit Maine.

Haaland’s approach is likely to be radically different from that of Ryan Zinke or David Bernhardt, her predecessors under former President Donald Trump. The Washington Post reported this week that Haaland has recommended restoring protections to three national monuments that had been rolled back by Trump. They are Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah, as well as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of Massachusetts.

There had been some concern in 2017 that Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument also might be targeted for a reduction in size, but that never happened.

Read the full story at Central Maine

Oceana, NRDC call for expansion of Seafood Import Monitoring Program

March 8, 2021 — Marine sustainability non-governmental organization Oceana public on 3 March calling for the expansion of the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) and for mandatory full-chain traceability requirements for all seafood sold in the United States.

The report, “Transparency and Traceability: Tools to Stop Illegal Fishing,” criticizes the current limitations of SIMP, in that the law currently applies to just 13 types of imported seafood and traces them to the U.S. border, not beyond. Extending SIMP to cover all seafood species sold in the United States, and requiring that all be covered by full-chain traceability from boat to plate, would reduce species mislabeling and help in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Oceana said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Maine boat captain gets jail, fine for shooting seal off Acadia National Park

June 27, 2017 — A Knox County man will serve time in jail and be required to pay a fine after pleading guilty to shooting a seal off the coast of Acadia National Park. The seal apparently died.

Joseph A. Martin, 54, of Warren pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to the misdemeanor charge of taking a federally protected marine mammal.

Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison sentenced Martin to serve three days in jail and to pay a $1,000 fine.

Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy issued a statement Monday describing the circumstances behind the killing of the seal.

Murphy said Martin was acting as a captain of a fishing vessel on Oct. 10, 2016, when “multiple protected seals began to approach” the vessel, which was off the coast of Acadia National Park at the time. Court records do not specify the exact location.

“The defendant retrieved his rifle and began to shoot at the seals in the ocean,” Murphy said in the statement. “After the shooting took place, one seal could be seen floating in the water with a dark liquid surrounding its body.”

Court records indicate that the seal that Martin fired his rifle at was either a harbor seal or a gray seal.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

ASMFC 75th Annual Meeting Details, Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

August 30, 2016 — The following was released by the ASMFC:

Please find below and attached the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 75^th Annual Meeting, which will be held October 23-27, 2016 at the Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor, Maine. This email contains meeting details, including the preliminary agenda. All of the business meetings scheduled during this week (with the exception of closed sessions) are open to the public, free of charge. However, if you plan on attending any of the Annual Meeting social events, please help us prepare for these events by registering early (see below and attached for more details). Please note the preliminary agenda, which is also available athttp://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-annual-meeting, is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided in the Preliminary Agenda which follows.

Our Maine Commissioners have been working for quite a while now on the meeting details and are looking forward to welcoming you all to Bar Harbor. Surrounded by Acadia National Park and located at the edge of the sea there is a special mystique to Bar Harbor that you have to experience to understand!

ACCOMODATIONS: A block of rooms is being held at the Harborside Hotel (55 West Street, Bar Harbor, ME. Please make your reservations by calling (800)328-5033 as soon as possible to obtain the negotiated room rate of $159.00 plus tax. Hotel reservations must be made before September 26, 2016. Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. Please be aware that you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment and you must notify the hotel of any cancellation prior to 72 hours before arrival or you will be billed one night’s room plus tax. If you have any problems regarding accommodations, please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or crobertson@asmfc.org.

PLEASE NOTE: The negotiated room rate will be available from October 22^nd through the 27^th.

GETTING TO BAR HARBOR: Bar Harbor is accessible by automobile, plane or boat! The flights into Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport are not plentiful in the latter half of October, but you can get connecting flights from Boston and Portland into Bar Harbor Airport. Bangor has many flights daily – even some nonstop flights from Washington, D.C., and it is an hour and 15 minutes from Bar Harbor. Portland has even more flights from up and down the coast, and the drive to Bar Harbor from Portland is 3 hours.

REGISTRATION: The meeting registration fee is $200/per participant and $150/per spouse or guest if you register by October 17, 2016. After October 17^th and in Bar Harbor the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee covers the Sunday night reception, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon, as well event materials. Payment is not required until you arrive at the meeting; however, we ask that you please assist us in planning for the meeting by registering as soon as possible. You may register by returning the fillable registration form (by email to lhartman@asmfc.org, fax (703.842.0741, or US mail to 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201). Once you have registered, payment can be made in several ways (1) check, cash or credit card at the ASMFC Registration Desk at the Annual Meeting; (2) credit card by calling Lisa Hartman at 703.842.0744; or (3) mail a check to ASMFC (address above). (Please note all board/committee members attending the Annual Meeting will be reimbursed for the full registration fee. However, the additional $25 for late registration fees will not be reimbursed.)