THE SALMON farming industry's paid lobbyist, Sebastian Belle, paints a distorted image of the industry's commitment to consumer safety and environmental responsibility ( "Farmed salmon has raised concern among consumers," Food, July 4). While there have indeed been many recent improvements in disease control and escape prevention at Maine salmon farms, every such positive change was fought tooth and nail by the industry and often by Belle himself. It took a federal Clean Water Act citizen lawsuit, and then citizen intervention in state permitting hearings, to change industry practices in Maine.

For example, each farmed fish must now be tagged, so that escapees -- which can spread disease and pollute the gene pool of endangered wild salmon -- can be traced back to the defective pen from which they escaped. The industry not only fought its hardest to avoid imposition of this requirement five years ago, it now seeks to delay its full implementation for an additional two years.

The improvements in fish farming that Belle now ironically trumpets are not set in stone. Continued vigilance by consumers and environmental groups is needed simply to preserve, much less extend, these gains.

JOSH KRATKA
Senior attorney National Environmental Law Center
Boston