License fee hike proposed for aquaculture

The license fee per acre in Mattapoisett for aquaculture is only from US$5 (€3.516) to US$25 (€17.58) a fee that has not  changed since 1973. Now one selectman want the minimum fee raised to US$200 (€140.642) per acre, Chairman Paul Silva made the point that the town can no longer monitor and regulate these farms on the current cost structure.

Silver purposed increases would only be with in inflation from 1973 to 2011 he went on to point out that "Wholesale oyster prices in 1973 were US$1.14(€0.802) per pound and US$8.28 (€5.823) in 2008, an increase of over 600 percent," he said. "In FY 2011, Mattapoisett collected US$79,000 (€55,553) in mooring fees and boat excise tax coming from boats on 1,353 moorings or an average of US$59.12 (€41.574) per mooring. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers