Letter: Maine aquaculture industry needs companies of all sizes
The clean, cold waters of Maine produce arguably some of the best seafood in the world, both wild caught and farmed. The Maine Department of Marine Resources reported that the 2018 total harvest value of Maine-grown seafood to be roughly $72 million. Aquaculture has provided Maine with a sustainable and lucrative means to producing seafood.
As farmed seafood evolves in our state, we can benefit from operations of all sizes. From a lifestyle choice of small-scale marine gardening, to medium sized sustainable and resilient businesses, to larger scale finfish operations, Maine can remain a leader in aquaculture production.
Maine farmers have raised Atlantic salmon, eastern oysters, blue mussels, different species of seaweed, scallops, soft shell clams, razor clams, surf clams, rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and halibut and green sea urchins experimentally. These different species require diverse business models to maintain profit margins and be successful.
That’s why we are seeing more plans for companies to enter our state and invest in aquaculture. In 2018, there were 190 aquatic farms in Maine operated by lease holders and 200 pre-revenue operations. The total acreage of coastal waters designated for aquaculture in Maine grew from 1,319 in 2018 to 1,558 in 2019, which is smaller than the size of Rockland Harbor.
My family and I raise blue mussels on 164 acres on five sites. We have grown from a family of four to 15 employees in just over 10 years. We have, in that time, built a processing and packing facility that incorporates state-of-the-art equipment to sell our product with pride. The market, even during the pandemic, loves the quality and consistency that we can bring from Maine.
And momentum from Washington is helping support the expansion of aquaculture through the introduction of federal legislation this year that could help boost the Maine industry.
I am proud to work in Maine aquaculture, where there is a general understanding that big and small operators need to be part of the picture for the state to remain competitive.
Fiona de Koning
Hollander & de Koning, Trenton
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