New cod farm in the works for Maine

Tor-Eddie Fossbakk

USA: A Maine fisherman, James West, and New Hampshire based Great Bay Aquaculture LLC, have joined forces in an attempt to set up a cod farm in Frenchman Bay, south of Prebble Island, in Maine.

Mr. West currently owns a 14.5 hectare (35.66 acre) lease site which he acquired in 2002. His initial intention was to grow mussels and scallops. Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) granted him and Great Bay permission for a 0.75 hectare (1.86 acre) test lease inside the original lease so they could find out if this particular location is suitable for cod farming.

The experimental site proved successful and now they want to set up for full production. Great Bay would like to install four 70-meter circular net pens and stock them with 250,000 cod juveniles from its own hatchery. The company plans to raise cod to a market size between 1 and 3 kilos. They estimate it will take the fish between 14 and 30 months in the water to grow to this size.

As of the past summer, Great Bay had three pens on the site and started to stock some of them with juvenile cod.

Unless unexpected problems arise, a formal lease application to change the location from mussel and scallop farming to cod farming will be filed with DMR. It will take DMR several months to complete and grant the request.