COURTESY OF MAINE AQUACULTURE ASSOCIATION
I n Maine, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to high-quality, locally grown or caught food from land AND the sea. Our state is home to many extraordinary farms that provide us with delicious, sustainably-grown food. Most people are familiar with local agriculture, but fewer are aware of the farming happening in our ocean. While the sight of local lobstermen hauling their traps is a familiar one, few can even picture what “farming the sea” looks like in Maine. As we all try to make better choices as consumers, it’s vital to understand the importance of locally farmed seafood
and our duty to support the sea farmers growing it.
Supporting local food means more than just consuming it. In Maine, working waterfront access points are crucial for the seafood industry and enable local seafood to be enjoyed in our communities and beyond. However, gentrification is making it increasingly difficult for those who work on the water to live in these coastal
communities. By buying local seafood, especially the sustainable and delicious farmed seafood produced by Maine’s hardworking sea farmers, we support jobs, stimulate coastal economies, and strengthen the Maine seafood brand.
Consider the satisfaction you feel when buying a chicken raised happily and healthily in your town. You should feel the same when seeking out Maine-grown
seafood. In fact, you may even know the person who grew it! Sea farmers, like their land-based counterparts, work tirelessly to produce food and meet the demands of the market, sometimes facing obstacles from those who would prefer they “do it somewhere else.” To that we ask, how local is “too local”?
In Maine, “local” truly means in our backyard. We believe in championing the food produced locally by our neighbors and community members. Next time you’re at your local farmers’ market, take a moment to appreciate the variety of locally grown meats and vegetables. Many of us take pride in knowing that these farms are in our town, employing residents from our community. Why should sea farming be any different? Sea farmers are deserving of the same pride, appreciation, and support for their hard work in growing our food.
Nutritionists increasingly recommend eating more seafood of all kinds for a balanced diet, yet a significant portion of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported.
Shopping locally has a powerful impact: it’s great for our health, reduces carbon emissions associated with long-distance shipping, and strengthens our local
economy. By choosing Maine seafood, we ensure that the hardworking sea farmers and fishermen are able to stay in business and support better access to seafood for all Mainers.
Embracing local food, particularly locally farmed seafood, means supporting our communities and the environment. Come visit a farm, talk to a farmer, and take the opportunity to understand why the ocean is so important to us. Our locally-grown, healthy, and sustainable seafood benefits you, Maine, and the country every day. Let’s celebrate our local sea farmers with the same enthusiasm we show for our local
land-based farmers, ensuring a robust and thriving local food system for generations to come.
That, along with other economic and environmental factors like climate change have resulted in a loss of an entire generation of the state’s fishing community, Belle said. It simply became too expensive to live on or near the waters where their parents, grandparents, and ancestors had made a living. “The only way the current sons or daughters can make a living along the coast is to apply for an aquaculture permit,” Belle said. “It’s the most powerful tool we have to preserve maritime traditions here.”
Also helping is Maine’s ever-growing local food scene.
“Seafood is a fresh product and is highly perishable,” Belle said. “More than 80 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S. comes from other countries.”
Maine-raised aquaculture products are attractive to fans of all things seafood, he said.
“Local products are much more dependable and safer,” Belle said. “People know it has come out of clean water and raised under some of the strictest environmental standards in the world.”
It also does not hurt that Maine’s farmed seafood is darn tasty.
Selective breeding, specialized feed, and locations all impact how specific shellfish, finfish fish, or seaweed will taste. And growers work tirelessly to make sure that taste hits all the culinary notes.
Belle sees no end in sight for Maine aquaculture, especially as more growers move into increasingly specialized crops.
Seaweed, for example, has increased from 52,000 pounds harvested just eight years ago to last year breaking 1.2 million pounds harvested. Most recently an American eel farm — the first in North America —
began production in Waldoboro.
And there is plenty of room for more, Belle said.
Statewide 1,700 acres of the Gulf of Maine is currently devoted to aquaculture. That may sound like a lot, but all of that would fit in the Rockland breakwater with plenty of room left over.
Belle welcomes all newcomers.
“What we do at the Maine Aquaculture Association is work to help people find their best fit in the industry,” he said. “We are really like matchmakers.”
Aquaculture AND maine marine living resources