Salmon Farm Thoughts

I will admit that I have avoided this subject, which is highly unlike me. But I’ve been searching for answers, and all I come up with are more questions, plus some serious fear and pain on all sides of the great debate. Should Belfast support the introduction of a Norwegian salmon farm?

I have more questions than answers.

Do I care about the disruption of the natural beauty? In a state with a tourism based economy, I most certainly do care about that. It is something very real that we should take into consideration. It is relatively recent in our history that Belfast has been a bastion of tourism. Previously we were a fairly disgusting chicken town, with an economy in the tank and fewer jobs than ever.

Speaking of, do I care about the potential for additional jobs? Absolutely. Tourism jobs are available less than half the year. However, I want to know what kind of local training this company is committed to providing. The jobs are not unskilled. We have seen companies from Athena to Bank of America come in here and expect inexperienced individuals to magically fit their jobs - and then outsource when they don’t. Is this company committed to local education and employment?

Do I care about the fact that this whole thing seems extremely rushed? And that there is vitriol being spewed on all sides with some particularly defensive comments coming from the direction of local government? Yes. Anger, fear, and defensiveness do not create a good environment for success. I have not been given a good answer yet for why the process cannot be slowed in order to assuage everyone’s fears and work out a lot of different details. 

Do I care about how a salmon’s life feels to the salmon? Believe it or not, I do. I do think as a species it is our responsibility to be as humane to the other species we eat as possible. There is a reason I have processed my own chickens. I eat the chickens, knowing that they had a good life and were humanely slaughtered. So, are there ways in land-based salmon farms to ensure the salmon are treated humanely? Is this company going to do that?

I want someone in the middle (is there anyone left?!!) to sit down and explain it to me. And then I want to do my own research. I want to talk to my friends at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in Orland and some of the people developing the marine magnet school in Searsport. I want to read about land-based fish farming, which I do recognize as the future of eating seafood because of the extent 

And if you have a comment - please, could you link to where you got your information from? As in, not just, “I’m so tired of this because I’m right and you’re an idiot so there.” I am neither wrong nor right at the moment because I don’t know enough either way!! I want to know your sources and I’ll research where those sources get their funding from myself. THEN when I have an opinion feel free to bite my head off. :-)






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