AUGUSTA – This winter’s bitter cold has taken a toll on farm-raised salmon in Canada and the aquaculture industry in Maine fears that its operations also could be hit with losses.

The prolonged cold has caused what the Maine Aquaculture Association characterized as “superchill conditions” in which ocean waters drop below 32 degrees and fish can freeze to death.

Sebastian Belle, the association’s executive director, said salmon farmers would be checking their pens for possible losses.

“Based on the unusually low water temperatures we are seeing and on the extended period that the arctic high pressure systems have been this far south, we expect that some farms have lost fish and farmers will use the next week to try to assess their losses,” Belle said.

The industry also is worried about potential ice damage to shellfish beds. “We haven’t seen ice like this in a long time,” said Chip Davison of Great Eastern Mussel Farms.