Land-based fish farm wins right to go ahead with US plans

Netherlands based yellowtail kingfish farmer The Kingfish Company has again won against its opponents in a US court case, affirming its permits to build a farm in the northeastern US state of Maine.

The permit for the Maine facility was initially issued by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in 2021.

Opposition groups appealed the permit decision twice - to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection then to the Maine Superior Court.

In this latest court decision, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court denied the opponent’s appeal of the Maine Superior Court decision, upholding the original Maine Bureau of Environmental Protection decision, said The Kingfish Company in an announcement to the Oslo Stock Exchange.

Kingfish Maine therefore remains fully permitted with all required local, state and federal permits.

“This has been a multi-year battle with a small group of opponents which worked to stop our project,” said Kingfish Company CEO Vincent Erenst. “Due to this opposition, our project was delayed by almost four years.”

The project was first introduced to the Jonesport community in 2019 and the permitting process was completed during the pandemic. The opponents filed multiple appeals of the state and local planning board permits over three years, which "severely" delayed the design and construction process, said The Kingfish Company.

“Our construction timeline for the Jonesport facility was, unfortunately, significantly delayed by several years due to the multiple appeals by opponents.

"Now, with the appeals behind us, the project timeline will be determined by current economic and financial conditions, which we are assessing at this time.

“This is a win for Maine and the United States with regard to seafood production,” said Erenst.

The United States currently imports more than 85 percent of its seafood.

"The Kingfish Company’s Maine facility will specifically address US reliance on imports for protein-rich food sources," said the company.

When completed, the Jonesport facility will produce 8,500 metric tons of yellowtail.

Current annual production capacity at its Kingfish Zeeland facility in the Netherlands is 4,000 metric tons.