To: Committee on Marine Resources
From: Matt Cannon, Sierra Club Maine Date: April 8, 2021
Re: Testimony in Support LD 1146- An Act to Protect Maine's Ocean Waters and Support Regulatory Oversight and the Long-term Health of the Aquaculture Industry
Senator Miramant, Representative McCreight and distinguished members of the Marine Resources Committee, my name is Matt Cannon and I write on behalf of Sierra Club Maine’s over 20,000 members and supporters. Founded in 1892, Sierra Club is one of our nation’s oldest and largest environmental organizations. We work diligently to amplify the power of our 3.8 million members nation-wide as we defend everyone's right to a healthy world, and we support LD 1146 in our pursuit of that mission.
We agree with the authors of this bill that it is time to take a step back, take stock of the multiple affected stakeholders, and craft a comprehensive plan for the ongoing development of the aquaculture industry in Maine.
It is the Sierra Club’s policy to discourage the cultivation of aquatic organisms in a manner that has a high potential to impact natural ecosystems. Accordingly, we place particular emphasis on the need to carefully restrict the nature, size and location of open pen, closed pen and semi-closed pen systems as well as other technologies that regularly entail massive discharge of effluent and the potential spreading of parasites and disease.
Further, consistent with the goals of the Governor and the Maine Climate Council, we advocate the support of policies that favor low-carbon aquaculture. Limiting lease size and the scale of resulting grow-out systems is consistent with this goal.
Subjecting the transfer of leases to review is necessary to assure that overarching planning goals are achieved. We must be ever mindful in the development of the aquaculture industry of the impact on the vitality of the working waterfront and of our pristine coastline.
Respectfully submitted,
Matt Cannon Campaign & Policy Associate Director
Sierra Club Maine