Protestors turn out against proposed Maine salmon farm

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — More than 125 boats participated in a protest against plans for a salmon farm in waters near Acadia National Park in Maine.

Commercial and recreational vessels comprised the “Save the Bay” flotilla that motored around Frenchman Bay on Aug. 29. Some people on land also participated by holding signs stating their opposition.

American Aquafarms has proposed raising 66 million pounds of Atlantic salmon annually at a pair of 15-pen sites off the coast of Gouldsboro.

Ted O’Meara, of Frenchman’s Bay United, likened the scope of the project to ”some huge hog farm from the Midwest and plucking it right in the middle of one of the most beautiful parts of Maine.”

“Our first goal is to stop this project, and our second goal is to look at changing some of the rules that allow people like this to think they can just come here and plug something like this down in our waters,” he said.

Another company, Nordic Aquafarms, wants to build a $500 million, 55-acre salmon farm in Belfast, in the middle of the state’s Atlantic coastline, about 40 miles from the American Aquafarms project. The plant would be capable of producing about 70 million pounds of Atlantic salmon a year.