The Maine Farmed Seafood Coalition (MFSC), a Maine-based community program for sustainability, recently launched a campaign called “Maine Farmers Are Why,” intended to educate the public about Maine aquaculture in light of recent sea farming disputes across the state’s coastal regions.
"The campaign puts sea farmers at the front of the conversation and tells the stories of innovators who make a diversified living on the coast of Maine,” MFSC said in a release.
The coalition was formed in 2025 and encompasses over 40 sea farms, seafood businesses, and other related aquaculture organizations, according to MFSC’s website. It exists to “serve as a collective voice, tell the stories of sea farmers, and educate the public about aquaculture’s contributions and potential to Maine’s economy and culture,” the release said.
The campaign will include digital and print storytelling, advertisement, and in-person events.
"Maine Farmers Are Why” was launched in February in response to the fact that at least 80 percent of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. MFSC said the rise in global demand for farmed seafood continues to grow and adds pressure to Maine’s coastal communities known for cold, clean, coastal waters.
"Maine’s skilled maritime workforce and working waterfront infrastructure make the state an optimal location for sea farming,” MFSC said in a release. “The Maine Farmed Seafood Coalition recognizes this potential to bring seafood production and consumption close to home and identified the public’s lack of aquaculture knowledge as a barrier to the acceptance and growth of the industry in Maine coastal communities."
Though a large part of the state's economy comes from Maine’s seafood production, the need for education still exists, MFSC said. President of FocusMaine and MFSC Steering Committee member Andrea Cianchette Maker said she’s noticed the public’s perception of aquaculture grows increasingly supportive with increased education. That’s the goal of this campaign, she said.
"Maine has always transformed its economy, largely by creating new products out of its natural resources,” Maker said. “Aquaculture is another adaptation and an extension of our fishing heritage. It’s my hope that through this campaign, our aquaculture products grow to become iconic Maine foods, the same way we hold up our lobsters, our blueberries, and our potatoes.”
According to MFSC, a 2024 Maine Aquaculture Association poll cited that 76 percent of people in Maine who are already familiar with aquaculture believe that Maine’s aquaculture products are a sustainable source of food. The number rises to 82 percent once people unfamiliar on the topic become educated.
