The board of directors of land-based salmon producer Nordic Aquafarms approved the company's proposed investment plans to pursue a land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) farm in Humboldt County, California, following a rigorous due diligence process, the company said Friday.
The facility on the Samoa Peninsula marks the company's second proposed land-based facility in the United States. It is also building a facility in Belfast, Maine.
The company had been carrying out due diligence of all opportunities and risks that come with building the Humboldt facility, as well as working with local retailers to plan the permit process for the facility.
Nordic will immediately start local recruiting to support expansion of activities in Humboldt, including hiring a Humboldt-based project director and an engineering manager.
The expansions are in line with the company's strategy to build facilities closest to the US regional markets it plans to serve.
“The Humboldt location will enable us to reach more than 50 million people within a 12-hour drive or less, which reduces the cost and environmental impact of transportation while supplying the market with sustainably raised local fish," said Erik Heim, president of Nordic Aquafarms.
Permit applications will be submitted by summer 2020.
