The meeting with the Selectmen, Andrew C. Fisk, Aquaculture Coordinator with the Dept. of Marine Resources [andrew.c.fisk@state.me.us], Mr. Peterson of Great Eastern Mussel, Mr. Larrabee and brother, and about 20 residents of Northport and Bayside was generally civil and informative but unproductive with regard to DMR accepting the responsibility for making an ill-considered and reckless decision to approve this lease.

Mr. Fisk, who has been with DMR for four months, recognized the deficiencies in communication with the public on the part of DMR, but claimed that no matter how many citizens of Northport feel concerned about the health and safety issues created by the mussel rafts, it would not have any impact on their decision regarding approval of the lease.  He mentioned that this is an experimental and non-renewable lease, which extends through May of 2004 and that a permanent or "standard" 10- year lease automatically involves a public hearing.  He did not appear concerned with the number of inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the current application, nor the fact that our Harbormaster, who is on their notification list, had not been informed of their intent to approve the lease.

He somewhat acknowledged the unscrupulous method taken to position the rafts in their present location, but then dismissed this approach as being necessary to foil the attempts of lobstermen who might place traps in the area.

He said that he was not prepared to address the health issues posed by coliform bacteria pollution stemming from Kelly Brook and the Bayside sewage treatment plant.  He claimed that periodic water sampling occurs.  But it is obvious that no particular attention is paid to surge pollution when, for example, (an often visible) visible wide band of effluent passes right through the rafts twice a day with the outgoing tide or in other instances where a substantial petrochemical slick drifts through.  Remarkably, according to Mr. Fisk, Mr. Peterson and Mr. Larrabee, no one checks the harvested mussels for pollution/infection before they are sent to market because they are being taken from water certified to be clean on a chart.

With regard to the DMR position regarding the marine hazard the floats in this location represent, Mr. Fisk deferred to the Coast Guard regulations and said that they would be putting this obstruction on charts in the future.  He feels that all boats should be equipped with radar.  He inferred that DMR finds the $5,000 bond carried by Larrabee to be adequate in the event of any liability created by the rafts.