From the Gulf of Maine to the fjords of Norway, from the wild coasts of Patagonia to the forested shores of British Columbia, large-scale industrial fish farming is threatening native fish species, endangered marine mammals, the seafloor ecosystem and local community health and livelihoods. Concerned citizens, Indigenous groups, marine scientists and oceans organizations around the world are working to increase public awareness of the dangers of fish farms, and forming alliances to defend environments from the threats.
In support of these initiatives, Parley for the Oceans is proud to present Our Waters, a short documentary by Josh “Bones Murphy, director of Artifishal and Purple Mountains. The film follows the community of Frenchman Bay as they take a stand to protect Maine’s most precious resource.
The Gulf of Maine is a spectacular but fragile cradle for marine life. Stretching from the east coast of Massachusetts up to Nova Scotia, it encompasses some 36,000 square miles of ocean, undersea kelp forests and rugged, forested coastlines. The region is home to over 3,000 species of marine life and seabirds, including humpback, bowhead and critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. With cold Atlantic water welling up from the depths and extreme tides mixing ocean nutrients, the Gulf is also a remarkably productive marine ecosystem – one that sustains artisanal fishers, a highly sustainable lobster catch and Indigenous fisheries that have existed for millennia.
Today, this delicate marine world is facing a new threat. A proposal by American Aquafarms would see the creation of the largest industrialized fish farm in North America, discharging 4.1 billion gallons of untreated effluent a day and producing more nitrogen runoff than Maine’s four largest cities combined – all into Frenchman Bay – where water does not circulate freely. If built, the breeding pens would likely degrade water quality, promote algae blooms, destroy the bay’s ecosystem and impact nearby Acadia National Park, one of the region’s key protected wildernesses.
Beyond the impacts below the waves, air, noise and light pollution will impact the environment and marine life not only in the bay, but in the communities that surround and depend on it. Thousands of trucks and ten large generators (plus 30 back-up generators) will run continually, producing constant air and noise pollution. Lights from the pens will pierce Acadia National Park’s legendary night sky.
The proposed technology is totally unproven at this scale. No one has built a project this large or raised fish to harvest size using experimental semi-closed pens. A trial of a single semi-closed pen in British Columbia failed in 2021 due to water pollution and fish mortality. A balance that has existed for generations could be destroyed. Frenchman Bay is a place where many different groups –fishermen, businesses, First Nations, visitors, year-round and seasonal residents, boaters, research and educational institutions – have all enjoyed and protected the bay.
In April 2022, the Maine Department of Marine Resources terminated American Aquafarms’ lease proposal, but the Norwegian-backed company has filed an appeal with the state and plans to forge ahead with its application to secure a lease and one day become operational.
Maine is not prepared to manage large-scale fish farms. Current state rules and regulations did not anticipate industrial fish farming projects of this scale. We must find new ways to balance the needs of all those who live, work and recreate on Maine's beautiful coast — and uplift the voices of those standing up to protect their home environment.