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New report sets broad goals for Maine’s aquaculture industry in the next decade

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Within the final 8 years, Maine’s aquaculture harvest has greater than doubled in quantity and in worth, and a few predict that the state’s aquaculture exports might be price as a lot as $800 million by 2025. A brand new report is recommending how that progress must be managed over the subsequent decade. However critics say it is too targeted on increasing the trade, and offers brief shift to different customers of the ocean commons or the ecosystems that all of them depend upon.

The doc units broad targets for aquaculture’s subsequent decade in Maine, beginning with streamlined allowing for public water leases that “balances the rights of the applicant and the general public.

And it identifies the potential prices of particular actions: $100,000, as an illustration, to assist a state worker who would assist candidates get by means of the allowing course of and have interaction with host communities, $100,000 to combine aquaculture into Okay-12 schooling, and 1 / 4 million {dollars} to create a Maine Seafood Council to market each farmed and wild-caught seafood.

“It is one software that can be utilized together with the numerous instruments the state has in fascinated by the longer term,” mentioned Gayle Zydlewski, who directs Maine Sea Grant, a federal-state program housed on the College of Maine that led a collaborative effort to create the so-called Maine Aquaculture Roadmap.

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“There’s undoubtedly so much taking place on this area. And the roadmap is supposed to assist the sector strengthen alternatives to attach with native coastal communities. So it truly is a time to be fascinated by our working waterfront (and) aquaculture and fisheries, recreation and tourism,” Zydlewski mentioned.

Greater than 140 stakeholders weighed in, together with Chebeague Island oyster farmer Bob Earnest, who sees the plan as a helpful information for rising the trade in a sustainable means.

“We do not need the federal government managing what number of oysters we produce. (They’d not be environment friendly at that.) However we additionally don’t desire each retired individual like me within the state of Maine promoting unsafe product as a result of we’re issuing too many licenses and never doing sufficient schooling. It isn’t a simple proposition. This highway map speaks to all the suitable facets of that evolving trade,” Earnest mentioned.

He added, although, that the sustainability of small, unbiased farms might be challenged by an rising inflow of enterprise capital that is backing industrial-scale shellfish farming, and proposed finfish farms on and off the coast.

And there are sharper critics.

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“The shortage of even mentioning any type of tradeoff of aquaculture in any of those conversations is vastly regarding,” mentioned Marissa McMahan, a Georgetown-based marine scientist who participated in one of many stakeholder focus teams. She’s additionally considered one of 19 individuals who signed a latest letter to Sea Grant criticizing the highway for overlooking the worth of shared waters for a lot of exterior of the aquaculture trade.

“There is no point out of the tradeoffs, and there are potential environmental impacts. There are large potential social impacts. It is all linked,” McMahan mentioned.

Different critics who signed the letter embody lobstermen, the director of Stonington’s Maine Heart for Coastal Fisheries, a number of UMaine researchers and Downeast Salmon Federation Director Dwayne Shaw. He mentioned the highway map fails to supply a plan for assessing the cumulative impacts of aquaculture leases on ecosystems and wild fisheries, and the way aquaculture can damage efforts to revive them.

“Its not a complete plan however extra of a little bit of advocacy for financial improvement using aquaculture. And since aquaculture is so advanced with numerous kinds of farms being proposed, it is essential that we transfer cautiously,” Shaw mentioned.

However supporters keep that fears about unbound progress are unfounded. Brianna Warner is the CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, the state’s greatest seaweed processing firm, which gives free seed to 27 unbiased lobstermen who spend their off-seasons rising and harvesting seaweed.

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“We’ve got this factor in Maine which I discover very fascinating that places worth judgments round ‘huge is dangerous and small is nice,’” Warner mentioned.

Warner mentioned the state’s leasing software course of is vigorous and protecting of customers and the surroundings. If Maine actually desires to create extra jobs on the water, she added — good-paying jobs with advantages — some aquaculture operations are going to want to get large enough to realize the income streams that make that doable.

“Look, I feel the trade must develop responsibly however I do not suppose there’s any indication that it isn’t,” she mentioned.

The highway map authors plan one other have a look at the problems in 2026. And within the meantime Sea Grant director Gayle Zydlewski mentioned she is in search of additional conversations with the plan’s critics, and a broad multi-sector seafood planning effort, Sea Maine, is getting below means as nicely.

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National Democrats target two Republican seats in Maine Senate

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National Democrats target two Republican seats in Maine Senate


National Democrats on Wednesday announced that they’re looking to flip two seats in the state Senate that are currently held by Republicans.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the party’s official campaign arm, said it’s offering support and resources to Democrats in Districts 15 and 20, representing Augusta and Auburn, respectively. Those seats are currently held by Republicans Matthew Pouliot and Eric Brakey, who are not seeking reelection.

The group is expected to provide campaign support and channel national donors to the Democratic challengers in those races: Rep. Raegan LaRochelle in District 15 and Bettyanne Sheets in District 20.

The announcement is part of the DLCC’s “Summer of the States” campaign. Launched last week, the campaign is supporting hundreds of Democrats running in state-level races to help secure Democratic majorities and prevent “MAGA control of state legislatures,” referring to Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.

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DLCC President Heather William said in a written statement that the seats “are crucial for defending Democratic power.”

“Legislative victories in Maine have protected a slate of fundamental freedoms, and these candidates are challenging GOP incumbents to strengthen Democratic majorities and protect Mainers from a dangerous Republican agenda,” Williams said. “Mounting strong campaigns to fight GOP extremism is what the DLCC does best, and the victories of these candidates will help Maine remain an outstanding example of Democratic achievement.”

In addition to candidate spotlights, the DLCC also contributes funds directly to Democratic committees. But a spokesperson said it’s too soon to say how much the party is planning to invest this year.

In 2022, which included a gubernatorial election, the DLCC invested nearly $1.4 million in Democratic campaign committees here, which helped maintain Democratic control of both Legislative chambers and the Blaine House.

Maintaining the Democratic trifecta allowed for the expansion of abortion access later in pregnancy and protected access to health care, including for those seeking and providing abortion and gender-affirming care.

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Those efforts have been applauded by Democrats nationally, especially as they seek to keep reproductive rights at the forefront of voters’ minds. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade two years ago, effectively ending national abortion protections, Republican controlled states have enacted restrictions and outright bans. But Maine was one of the few states to buck that trend and expand access.

Control of the state legislature is also on the radar of the Republican State Leadership Committee, which announced on Tuesday that it was spending $38 million to help secure and flip control of state legislatures. Maine is among seven states where Republicans hope to make “meaningful gains in liberal strongholds.”

“As we head into the upcoming election, our focus remains on securing majorities, but we will also continue to lay the foundation for long-term success in these blue states,” the group said. “We are strategically investing in key states to break Democratic strongholds and build new majorities that will endure through the decade.”

Democrats currently hold 22 of the 35 seats in the state Senate.

In District 15, LaRochelle, who is finishing her second term in the House, is running against Rep. Dick Bradstreet, a Vassalboro Republican who is finishing his fourth term in the House.

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Sheets is in a three way race for the District 20 seat, which she nearly won two years ago in a close race with Brakey. She’s running against Bruce Bickford, an Auburn Republican who served six terms in the House, and independent Dustin Ward, who currently serves on the New Gloucester Select Board.

Ranked choice voting will be used in District 20. If any candidate fails to receive a majority in the first round, an instant runoffice will be held and the second place votes on the ballot’s of the third place finisher will determine the winner.

This story will be updated.

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Off-duty officer hit by vehicle, driver arrested after fight, police say

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Off-duty officer hit by vehicle, driver arrested after fight, police say


An off-duty reserve police officer was undergoing surgery after an incident Tuesday in which he was hit by a vehicle, Maine State Police said.

Many details around the incident in Norway, Maine, involving the reserve officer for Oxford police and another man, who was arrested, weren’t immediately available. There was no danger to the public.

The off-duty officer, Joe Correia, a 31-year-old from Norway, was outside of his vehicle on Crocket Ridge Road and hit by a vehicle being driven by Michael Carleton, of Paris, Maine, about 6 p.m., police said.

That led to a fight between the two, according to police. Carleton was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon; it wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to the charges.

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Correia is expected to survive his injuries, according to police, who continued to investigate what happened as of Tuesday night.



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Maine unemployment numbers continue to see positive change

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Maine unemployment numbers continue to see positive change


(WABI) – The unemployment situation in Maine continues to see little change as the year progresses.

According to a report from the Maine Department of Labor, the unemployment rate across the state remains well below long-term averages.

The preliminary 3% unemployment rate changed from 3.1% in April.

Unemployment has been below 4% for 30 months which is the second longest such period and below the U.S. average.

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The full report is listed here.



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