January 26, 2007

US state of Maine triples area allowed for aquaculture enterprises

The state of Maine's Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council approved a regulation that would more than triple the total area in state water companies can lease to use for aquaculture.

The change was authorized by its Legislature last year.

The new law triples the aquaculture lease area that an individual or entity could hold from 300 acres to 1,000 acres. The change also requires fish farmers to submit annual plans for fallowing a part of their lease area to the DMR so as not to tax the marine environment. 

The new law also gave the DMR commissioner authority to expand that area by regulation up to 1,500 acres if he determined that such an increase was beneficial for the management of aquaculture and environmentally and economically appropriate.