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Land-based salmon farms proposed for Belfast and Bucksport would create an extraordinary opportunity for Maine communities.

In an op-ed published by the , Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., Henry L. & Grace Doherty Professor of Marine Sciences and executive director of ɫ����Ƶ NORTH: Institute for North Atlantic Studies, says the time is right to seize the opportunity.

Costa-Pierce writes that after more than 30 years of research and development, the science of recirculating aquaculture systems on land is finally here, making it possible to farm fish without the use of net pens in the ocean.

“Recirculating aquaculture systems are more costly, but they enable fish farms to be part of a true recycling aquaculture economy where the wastes may become more valuable than the fish fillets themselves, as they are used in new products from animal feed to pharmaceuticals,” writes Costa-Pierce.

 He says we must find ways to increase our food sources without continuing to rely mainly on traditional farming.

Costa-Pierce explains, that is an issue for all of humanity to face. “Fish account only for 15.7 percent of global animal protein consumption. By 2050, we’ll need to increase food production by about 50 percent to 75 percent to feed a planet of 10 billion. If we expect to get this protein from the land, most of the world’s last great natural areas will be destroyed by agriculture’s expansion. We must find ways to sustainably farm aquatic species to save Mother Earth.”

According to Costa-Pierce, the salmon farms can provide those additional food supplies, while also creating jobs for the future.

“Land-based aquaculture can create hundreds of knowledge-based jobs”, stated Costa-Pierce. “Our universities could be global centers of excellence in education, research and business outreach.”