DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher. Photo courtesy of DMR.
Nordic Aquafarms, which is currently working on a land-based aquaculture facility in Belfast, Maine, is hoping that the state approves a regulation change that would allow heads and racks from their facilities to be used as lobster-bait. The issue is that DMR Regulations Chapter 24.23 “prohibits the introduction of any dead salmonid fish species or salmon remains, parts or viscera to coastal waters of Maine.” In response to a letter that Nordic Aquafarms submitted to Maine DMR this past March, Commissioner Patrick Keliher said that he is “interested in exploring all options for the safe introduction of alternative bait sources.” He intends to open the regulations to “make the necessary regulatory changes.” However, “The biosecurity practices at the aquaculture facilities from which salmonid waste would be sourced will need to be evaluated and a risk assessment to wild and farmed marine resources conducted,” Keliher stated.
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