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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 10
June 2010
Downeast Cod Academy will train fishermen to farm
WISCASSET, ME – Keenly aware that vital employment opportunities in coastal communities are limited and vulnerable, several groups have formed a partnership to provide training for Downeast Maine fishermen in a brand new industry – cod farming.
The Maine Aquaculture Association, GreatBay Aquaculture of Maine, Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI), and the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research at the University of Maine Franklin have put together a program called the Cod Academy.
The goal is to give participating fishermen the skills they need to establish fishermen-owned, pilot-scale cod farms and, by seeding the coast with these farms, help keep working waterfronts alive.
With funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the program will include classroom instruction and hands-on sea cage experience at Maine’s first and only commercial cod farm, which is located in Frenchman Bay in Sorrento.
The project kicks off with two informational meetings on:
June 24 at Ellsworth City Hall at 4 pm; and
June 29 at the University of Maine Machias Science Building, room 102, at 4 pm.
During the meetings, interested fishermen will hear about the status of cod farming internationally and regionally, eligibility requirements for acceptance into the Cod Academy, and the risks and rewards of participating.
The project is specifically meant for fishermen from Hancock and Washington Counties. All applicants will be screened and enrollment will be limited, probably to 10-15 fishermen. The program is free of charge.
In deciding who will be admitted, academy organizers will look at each applicant’s fishing history, regulatory compliance record, financial capacity for a future cod farm startup, and ownership or access to an appropriate vessel.
Cod Academy classes will meet one day a week during the summer and fall to avoid significant disruption of fishing activities. As part of the program, students will work with CEI small business counselors to create a business plan for starting a cod farm and with other instructors to complete a hypothetical aquaculture lease application to the state.
Norwegian model
The Cod Academy idea was inspired in part by how the salmon farming business got its start in Norway, according to Maine Aquaculture Association Executive Director Sebastian Belle.
He explained that several decades ago, Norwegian government officials looked at their coastal communities and realized employment rested on only three industries: sheep farming; the emerging oil industry; and the herring fishery, which had collapsed.
“They used aquaculture as a rural development tool, establishing three training centers, which linked skilled researchers with entrepreneurs, many of whom had ties to the herring industry,” Belle said. “That was the genesis of their salmon industry. The Cod Academy is in many ways based on that model.”
Maine has its own salmon farming industry, which, Belle said, is on its way back to historic production levels after a period of financial difficulty largely caused by regulatory and disease challenges and slipping investor confidence in the US.
“There were some tough years,” Belle said. “The great part of the story is that we focused on the development of best management practices, which are now recognized around the world, and attracted capital from Canada to reopen the Machiasport (processing) plant last year. Salmon farming is providing employment and making a huge difference in working waterfront communities along the Maine coast.”
For the future
In addition to meeting the basic eligibility requirements listed above, Belle said he hopes the Cod Academy will draw strong people and young people who are determined not to let New England become a “has-been” and are willing to try something new to restore the region’s heritage as a great seafood-producing center for this and coming generations.
“Aquaculture is an incredibly demanding business,” he said. “But a lot of others have learned the hard lessons. You don’t have to do it all yourself.”
NMFS Aquaculture Program Manager Michael Rubino said the agency was supporting the program with an eye towards helping local economies.
“By delivering the knowledge and skills for sustainable marine aquaculture, the Cod Academy will provide fishing families and communities in Maine with additional options for seafood production, create jobs, and support the long-term viability of our working waterfronts,” he said.
For more information on the Cod Academy, contact: Sebastian Belle by phone at (207) 622-0136 or e-mail at <maineaqua@aol.com>; or Dick Clime at CEI by phone at (207) 822-7552 or e-mail at <rdc@ceimaine.org>.
For more information about the Maine Aquaculture Association, visit its web site at <www.maineaquaculture.com>.
Lorelei Stevens
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