For immediate release February 8, 2002.
Contact Penobscot Bay Watch (207) 594-5717
Atlantic Salmon Federation calls for fishpen-free Penobscot Bay.
Plan would protect America's last big wild Atlantic salmon school and a critical federal salmon hatchery
from disease, parasites.
Read other
people's and groups' testimony & reports on the hearing
from the Feb 7th Maine legislature hearing on
aqaculture reform
AUGUSTA. In dramatic testimony on Thursday February 7th, at a well-attended Marine Resources Committee hearing on reforming Maine aquaculture, the Atlantic Salmon Federation unveiled a plan to keep Penobscot Bay fishpen-free. The plan would protect both the Penobscot River's large run of wild Atlantic Salmon and the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in East Orland, Maine from Infectious Salmon Anemia, parasites like fish lice and other problems recently brought by fishpens to Maine. The group's plan could break the political impasse over the bill's controversial moratorium wording. See excerpts from the Federation's testimony, below.
The Federation's Andrew Goode told the committee members that keeping Penobscot Bay free of salmon fishpens is especially critical to protect the Craig Brook federal salmon hatchery in East Orland. That hatchery supplies young salmon used to replenish New England salmon rivers from Penobscot River south to the Connecticut River.
Supporters of the proposal say the ASF plan could resolve the legislature's uncertainty over the draft aquaculture bill's controversial call for a moratorium on aquaculture leasing in the southern half of the state's coast.
"While careful bay-wide planning will manage fishpen leasing elsewhere along the Maine coast aquaculture elsewhere, keeping Penobscot Bay fish-pen free will safeguard the last major bastion of wild Atlantic Salmon in the USA until they recover in Maine's and New England's other salmon rivers." said Ron Huber. , executive Director of Penobscot Bay Watch.
"Like Oregon and Washington, Maine should have a thriving wild salmon commercial fishery on its coast." Huber said. "If we are careful, we can regain it, and supply another source of income and opportunity to beleaguered Maine commercial fishing families hard pressed by federal groundfish regulations."
Huber said that opponents of the moratorium wording in the state bill, including the Maine Aquaculture Association and the Maine Farm Bureau, had worried that there was little scientific rationale for a closure extending all the way from the Bass Harbor Light east of Penobscot Bay to the New Hampshire border.
In his testimony, Goode noted that protecting wild salmon-rich bays and fjords as natural-fisheries-only is being successfully practiced as a part of 'Bay wide management" by three other North Atlantic salmon farming nations - Ireland, in Canada and Scotland, and is being considered in Norway.
Legislators seemed interested in the Federation's idea as a good compromise on the coastwide or half-coastwide 'moratorium' proposal in the bill. They asked Goode to come to the February committee work session with additional information on the ASF plan, which also made many other suggestions about improving the aquaculture reform bill.
The following is the opening of Andrew Goode's testimony, followed by the section of his testimony describing the purpose of their proposed Penobscot Bay fishpen exclusion zone. For a full transcript of the ASF testimony at the hearing contact coastwatch@acadia.net
(1) Atlantic Salmon Federation testimony by Andrew Goode: Introduction
"My name is Andrew Goode. I am representing today the Atlantic Salmon Federation
and the Maine Council of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The Maine Council of the Atlantic Salmon Federation represents twenty two different river clubs, salmon clubs and other organizations with a combined membership of 2000 people here in Maine. The mission of the Atlantic Salmon Federation is to protect, conserve and restore Maine's native salmon populations.
(2) Section of ASF's testimony on why Penobscot Bay a should be a fishpen exclusion area:
"The one exclusion zone that we would like to see along the Maine coast, for salmon aquaculture only, is Penobscot Bay. Penobscot Bay is where two of the eight listed rivers flow into Penobscot Bay
"On top of that, you have the main river run of the Penobscot that returned something like 775 fish this year. Its the only big river in the southern range of Atlantic salmon that is still reasonably functioning. Eggs that are taken from fish returning to the Penobscot every year are used in all of the New England restoration program: the Merrimac, the Connecticut, the Saco, the Penobscot - all are Penobscot eggs.
"If ISA, Infectious Salmon Anemia, that is plaguing fish in Cobscook Bay, and who knows where it's going to go from here, if that was to get into Penobscot Bay and an escaped fish was to get into the federal hatchery, or some infected wild fish was brought into the hatchery, it would cripple the program, and we would waste millions of dollars that we've spent on a restoration effort. Never mind people's times and all the good efforts that are going on right now between industry and the environmental groups.
"So we think that Penobscot Bay may be the one area for an exclusion zone. Other than that we need comprehensive planning to take place."
END OF TRANSCRIBED SECTION OF ASF COMMENTS
Supporters of the Atlantic Salmon Federation plan say that keeping Penobscot Bay free of fishpens is the best guarantee for the survival of wild Atlantic Salmon in Maine and in southern New England.
" "This resolves the uncertainty that has been floating around about the moratorium idea. With a little prodding, we think the industry and the DMR will come around to supporting the ASF plan for a fishpen-free Penobscot Bay, instead of a moratorium across all or half of the Maine coast," said Ron Huber of Penobscot Bay Watch, who submitted written comments on the bill at the hearing.
According to the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Ireland, Scotland, Canada and Norway have learned by experience that such protection areas are needed keep their most important wild salmon rivers, bays and fjords free of the diseases and parasites commonly associated with salmon farming. They have learned that not doing so puts their wild salmon fishery resources at risk
"Those countries have been in the fishfarming business decades longer than Maine." Huber said. "Let's learn from what they've done, and keep protect America's premium wild Atlantic salmon runs in Penobscot Bay and River safe from disease and parasites"
The Marine Resources Committee will hold a one hour public hearing in Augusta on February 12th during its work session on the bill.
Links to more information about the aquaculture issue along the Maine coast
* Eastern
Penobscot Bay Environmental Alliance
* Friends of Blue Hill Bay
* Maine Department of Marine Resources Aquaculture webpage
Penobscot Bay Watch: People who care about Penobscot Bay
