By Jerilyn Bowers
In his recent guest column (“Wealthy landowners attempting rule change threatens Maine’s working waterfront,” The Times Record, April 21), Sebastian Belle is quick to lay blame on a “few wealthy landowners” for “attacking the many who make their living on the water.” While that scenario makes for good theater, it is nothing more than a clever attempt to distract you from the facts.
So let’s do as Mr. Belle suggests and “get the record straight” by reviewing some facts:
· Over the last 15 years, rules and regulations governing Maine’s aquaculture industry have been radically changed. Those changes include: Increasing the maximum number of acres that can be leased by an entity from 250 acres to 1,000; Increasing the length of a lease from 10 years to 20; Allowing for the transfer of a lease from one entity to another without a public hearing.
Read the full piece in the Portland Press Herald: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/04/27/guest-column-maine-needs-tighter-regulations-to-preserve-its-aquaculture-industry/