PORTLAND -- A new coalition of businesses and organizations aims to combat disinformation about farmed seafood in Maine.
Representatives of five founding member organizations – The Maine Aquaculture Association, Coastal Enterprises, Inc., FocusMaine, Island Institute and the World Wildlife Fund – met in Portland Thursday to announce the forming of the Maine Farmed Seafood Coalition.
“I expect that coalition to broaden beyond its founders over time, as there are many other groups in the state who recognize the value and potential of aquaculture,” said Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association.
The coalition met with reporters at Bangs Island Mussels in Portland, a company that has been farming mussels for the past 15 years. The company produces about 600,000 pounds of farmed mussels a year, according to its CEO, Matthew Moretti.
Andrea Cianchette Maker is president of FocusMaine, an Augusta-based economic development organization, one of the coalition’s members. She pointed out that 80% of the seafood eaten in the US is imported, and 50% of that seafood is farmed.
In Maine, she said, survey data shows that the general public is supportive of the concept of farmed seafood, but is easily swayed by critics. She said she hopes the new coalition will combat this and build pride in the local aquaculture industry.
“We hold potatoes near and dear to us and our blueberries and our lobsters,” she said. “We ought to also be holding our mussels and our other seafood products at that same level and be really happy and passionate that Maine is producing it.”
Recently, key federal funding to Maine through the US Department of Commerce’s Sea Grant program was cut off, part of ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to cut costs in Washington.
On Thursday, Belle did not seem concerned about the future of federal funding for aquaculture-related projects or programs.
“Every administration has changes in their policies and certainly this one is no different than that,” he said.
Belle said the coalition will keep working with the White House to make the case for supporting aquaculture in Maine, particularly new innovations from local aquaculture businesses.
“We expect that the administration will continue to see the value of those and recognize that broad cuts without looking at the value of individual programs probably are not helpful to the business community and our obligation is to continue to demonstrate their value.”
Maker said the coalition is now focusing on expanding by adding new member organizations.