The return of Maine's salmon farming industry
USA: It is now more than five years since the once so vital Atlantic salmon farming industry in Maine was mothballed. Many thought it would never rise from the ashes, but those pessimists are about to be proven wrong. These days it looks as if the salmon farming industry, at least in eastern Maine, is mounting a comeback.
It was ever lower prices, disease problems, government sanctions for violating the federal Clean Water Act, state requirement to use only local Atlantic salmon strains and increased international competition were some of the reasons for the industry collapse.
Shortly before the entire Maine salmon farming industry shut down, New Brunswick based Cooke Aquaculture acquired the remains of the once leading Maine salmon farming business, Atlantic Salmon of Maine, in Machiasport. Cooke invested several million dollars into this plant.
Cooke has been growing Atlantic salmon in Maine for some time. In 2005 the company had approximately 300,000 salmon in their Maine pens. A year later the number increase to about 3 million salmon. However, all the harvested fish has been transported to its plant in St. George, New Brunswick, for processing. This is about to change. By January the company plans to reopen the 28,000 sq. ft. processing plant it purchased as part of the Atlantic Salmon of Maine purchase in 2006.
Sebastian Belle of the Maine Aquaculture Association says the 2008 salmon harvest is likely to total more than 9,100 metric tons. That's highest since production peaked at 16,300 metric tons in 2000 and 13,150 metric tons in 2001.
