July 26, 2022 GOULDSBORO, Maine – Frenchman Bay United, the coalition that led the effort against a massive industrial salmon farm in the waters next to Acadia National Park, today hailed a decision by the project developer, American Aquafarms, to withdraw its lawsuit against the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the state agency that terminated further consideration of their proposal in April.
“As an intervenor on behalf of the Maine DMR, Frenchman Bay United agreed to the dismissal of this lawsuit,” said FBU Board President Henry Sharpe. “We have always believed that DMR made the right decision in refusing to accept the company’s lease applications and that this lawsuit had little merit. We again call on American Aquafarms to end any plans it may have to re-apply for permits for this or other destructive and highly polluting projects.”
Last April, the Maine DMR refused to accept American Aquafarms’ applications for leases on two sixty-acre sites in Frenchman Bay because the company repeatedly failed to identify a qualified source of eggs under Maine law. The DMR action prompted the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to also end consideration of and return to the applicant applications for wastewater discharges that were under consideration at the time.
The company subsequently filed suit against the Maine DMR in Cumberland County Superior Court to overturn the department’s action.
The ”Stipulation of Dismissal” filed with the court yesterday and agreed to by lawyers for the state and Frenchman Bay United was done so “with prejudice,” meaning that American Aquafarms cannot refile the same claim again and must start the permitting process from the beginning if it comes back with a similar project.
Sharpe said “We hope that this is the end for American Aquafarms, but we remain vigilant and ready to challenge any subsequent applications they may file that would jeopardize Maine’s brand: clean water, thriving natural habitats, pristine wilderness, and a robust, owner-operated working waterfront. We’ll also continue to push science-based policies for legislative and regulatory change that champion the same virtues, ones that prevent the industrialization of our iconic coastline.
News media contacts:
Ted O’Meara
Save the Bay
207-653-2392
Crystal Canney
Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation
(207) 615-5968