Aquaculture spokesmen say the real reason people object to salmon pens is because they don’t want their view spoiled. Salmon pen opponents say the view is not the primary problem with fish pens.

In the interest of moving the dialog along, I second the idea of the Department of Marine Resources that the fishpen industry correct its view problems. The worst view problem is the green slime (algal mats) on the beaches near some pens. Of course, the slime is also a touch and environmental problem, but if the view part is corrected, we can presume that the other problems will be resolved as well.

Next, the old broken cages that still litter some beaches should be cleaned up. Finally, the problem of ugly barges needs to be addressed. I propose that the aquaculture industry build barges that are replicas of historical lighthouses. Workers, feed and equipment could be housed in the lighthouses, and the night lights could be housed in the lighthouse tower. The sound of the automatic feeder could be masked by a replica of a lighthouse foghorn.

After the aquaculture industry corrects its visual problems, then it can address problems such as disease, loss of bottom for the fishermen and the salmon industry’s worldwide overfishing of fish for salmon feed.

Jane McCloskey

Deer Isle