Jeremy Katzen
The Creation of a Fish: A Historical Examination of Maine's Salmon Aquaculture Industry
Advisor: Matthew Klingle
Aquaculture represents a historical confluence in Americans' understanding of ecology and nature. The very idea that humans can create a more genetically perfect fish and farm them for human consumption in an artificial environment has enormous implications. Both the scientific community and the fishing community are divided over the future of salmon aquaculture, especially here in Maine, where it is the state's second most lucrative seafood industry after lobster. Proponents look to aquaculture as the last resort to save the depleted Atlantic salmon fishery industry. They also claim it has created jobs in some of Maine's poorest regions. On the other side, opponents claim that aquaculture will lead to the genetic destruction of the remaining wild Atlantic salmon and that the waste generated from the fish farms has contaminated Maine's waters. The ongoing debate over Maine's salmon farms has landed in the courts: a federal lawsuit is currently pending in Portland and the industry's future is in question. Mr. Katzen will examine the contemporary issues surrounding Maine's salmon aquaculture industry through a historical lens. Through a combination of library and archival investigation with oral histories of Mainers connected to the industry, he hopes to analyze the issues of class, environment, and economy from an academic viewpoint.