PORTLAND, Maine — An environmental organization has served a notice of intent to sue one of the world’s largest aquaculture companies for violations of the Clean Water Act in Maine — allegations the fish farmer ardently denies.

Conservation Law Foundation contends Cooke Aquaculture’s salmon farming sites off the Maine coast pollute the state’s bays, where lobster fishing is a key industry. The farms consist of pens in the ocean where Atlantic salmon are grown for use as food.

The Boston-based law foundation stated in its Thursday notice that it was suing Cooke in a Maine federal court to bring the company into compliance. It states that the company discharges pollutants such as fish feces, dead fish and trash into Maine’s coastal waters.

“These enormous salmon cages are like sewage pipes to the marine environment,” said Heather Govern, vice president for the foundation’s clean air and water program. “Their solid waste smothers plants and ocean life while disease outbreaks and sea lice threaten nearby endangered wild salmon.”

Cooke swiftly denied the allegations, and company representatives said the firm fully complies with the laws. The company, based in New Brunswick, Canada, issued a statement that said the farms are “routinely inspected by state regulators and subject to regular monitoring reports” to ensure compliance.

“Finfish aquaculture has coexisted with heritage fisheries, such as lobstering, in Maine waters for more than 40 years. Lobster landings are not negatively affected by Atlantic salmon farms,” the company said in a statement.

Cooke is a global giant in aquaculture and describes itself as the world’s largest private family-owned seafood company. It states on its website that it operates in 14 countries.

Some environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, have targeted Cooke over the years with concerns about the sustainability of its operations in Maine and elsewhere. Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, said Saturday that the Conservation Law Foundation has worked with salmon farmers to develop environmental standards, and the notice of intent to sue was a surprise.

“Given the fact that CLF and the other groups associated with the proposed suit have not expressed any of their concerns to the farmers and that all of them stand to financially benefit, one has to wonder why farmers would ever work cooperatively with these groups to address their concerns,” Belle said.

PORTLAND, Maine — Democratic Rep. Jared Golden won reelection to Congress through Maine’s ranked choice system on Friday.

It’s the third time in four elections in the hotly contested district that Golden won after votes were retabulated because first choices failed to produce a majority for any candidate.

This time it was Republican challenger Austin Theriault who came out behind. His campaign had said he would seek a recount, and his campaign reiterated the request Friday evening.

“Every Mainer’s voice should be heard and their vote counted in this historically close race and we have seen several anomalies that can only be rectified with a full recount. We appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we work to ensure every vote is counted,” said Theriault’s campaign manager, Shawn Roderick.

Golden said the results show that he won, and he thanked his supporters. But he said Theriault was within his rights to request a recount. In the meantime, he said he would continue his work in Washington.

Maine’s 2nd District, which is largely rural and known for its lobster fishing and logging, has favored President-elect Donald Trump in each of his three elections.

The race in Maine was one of relatively few truly competitive contests nationwide as both parties struggled to control the House of Representatives, and it drew about $50 million in political spending, a large sum for a mostly rural district.

Golden, who was known for his willingness to defy his own party, campaigned on his ability to work with both Democrats and Republicans and his advocacy for the lobster industry, which is crucial to the economy in the region.

The voting system adopted by Maine voters in 2016 lets voters rank their first, second and third choices of candidates on the ballot. A candidate who collects a majority of first-place votes is the winner. If there’s no majority winner, then last-place candidates are eliminated and their supporters’ second choices are used to reallocate the votes, and so on, until one candidate surpasses 50%.

The 2nd Congressional District is among the nation’s largest by area, stretching to Maine’s northernmost corners. Logging is a mainstay, and lobster fishing is a key source of income along the craggy Down East coast.

Maine is one of two states to divide electoral votes by congressional district — Nebraska is the other — and Trump has won his sole New England electoral vote in Maine’s 2nd District three times.

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Jim Costa won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing California on Friday. Costa was first elected to the U.S. House in 2005 after spending roughly 24 years in the state Legislature. He defended his seat against Republican Michael Maher, who also challenged Costa in 2022. Costa serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and on Foreign Affairs. The district encompasses parts of the San Joaquin Valley, including the majority of the city of Fresno. The Associated Press declared Costa the winner Friday evening.

    Detectives Dustin Tierney and David Silk, right, of the Department of the Secretary of State carry ballot boxes into the tabulation room on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024 in Augusta, Maine. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP)
  

    Attorneys and observers review a printout from a voting machine to ensure the numbers match with the reported results as the state conducts additional tabulations under ranked choice voting in a congressional race, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/David Sharp)
  

    Attorneys and observers review a printout from a voting machine to ensure the numbers match with the reported results as the state conducts additional tabulations under ranked choice voting in a congressional race, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/David Sharp)
  

    Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows addresses attorneys and campaign staffers as election workers scan ballots for ranked choice voting, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/David Sharp)
  

    FILE – Republican congressional candidate Austin Theriault, right speaks with Carlos Kennelly, left, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 outside the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page, File)
  

    Detectives of the Department of the Secretary of State move ballot boxes into the tabulation room on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024 in Augusta, Maine. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP)
  

    FILE – Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, fields a question from the media Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, during a press conference at his campaign office in Lewiston, Maine. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP, File)
  

A new report shows initiatives to boost Maine’s nursing workforce have been successful, but data still indicate a shortage of more than 2,800 nurses by 2030.

The Maine Nursing Action Coalition report shows the state is graduating enough nurses to keep pace with the number that are retiring.

But the 65-and-over-age demographic in Maine is projected to grow to more than 425,000 people by 2030, double what it was in 2010. And an older population will drive up the demand for health care.

Mike Nozdrovicky, senior director of nursing for MaineHealth, said he’s encouraged by what he’s seeing.

“I’m inspired by the younger nursing workforce and the 65 and over nurses that have stayed in nursing and can pass their knowledge and wisdom to the newer workforce,” Nozdrovicky said.

Expanding the number of clinical sites in the state, growing the faculty base, and improving pathways into nursing are attracting students, according to Nozdrovicky.

Sally Weiss of the Maine Hospital Association said lawmakers have approved a tuition reimbursement program to attract educators for nursing programs that don’t have enough faculty now.

“How do we expand our faculty to create more opportunities all over the state. Not just in southern Maine but in northern Maine and our rural communities as well,” Weiss said.

The Maine Board of Nursing reports nearly 1,000 nursing students a year have taken the licensing exam since 2022.

A data analyst said the state may need to license 500 more nurses per year on top of that number to supply the demand that’s coming in 2030.

Read the report here.