Maine’s pristine coastal waters have long supported local communities, from fishermen and lobstermen to tourism-driven businesses reliant on healthy ecosystems. But a growing threat lurks beneath the surface in the form of industrial-scale salmon farming, which promises cheaper, mass-produced fish but carries serious environmental risks.

Salmon farming, particularly the industrial operations led by companies like Cooke Aquaculture, involves raising large quantities of fish in crowded net pens anchored in open water. In Maine, Cooke grows over one million salmon in these floating cages, which are spread across 13 active sites in the state.

The most obvious environmental risk posed by salmon farms is that the pollution they generate—fish feces, uneaten food, and dead fish—piles up at the bottom of the cages. Thick layers of toxic sludge smother the ocean floor and kill food sources for lobsters and bottom-dwelling fish. For Maine’s lobstermen who depend on clean water and a healthy ecosystem to make their living, this is a devastating blow…