Kingfish Maine clears latest hurdles for land-based aquaculture

Courtesy / Kingfish Maine Kingfish Maine’s team, from left: operations managers Tom Sorby and Megan Sorby and hatchery technician Liz Groover. Not pictured is Lead Technician Tom Reynolds.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Kingfish Maine’s permit to build a recirculating aquaculture system facility in Jonesport was upheld by the town’s board of appeals and a loan insurance request has been approved by the Finance Authority of Maine for project preparation.

In a unanimous vote, the board of appeals denied Protect Downeast’s appeal of the local planning board’s approval of the building permit. The formal adoption of the final decision was completed March 7.

The appeal objected to the industrial nature of the operation, and said the operation would impair water quality through the discharge of pollutants

The Kingfish Maine project is fully permitted by local, state and federal regulatory agencies.

“The Kingfish Co. is committed to demonstrating the highest standards of sustainability, which includes transparency and responsibility to our stakeholders and the community where we intend to develop our latest project,” Vincent Erenst, the company’s CEO, said in a news release. “We credit the Jonesport community for its commitment to the project and sharing our vision for the future.”

FAME onboard

The company last month learned that the Finance Authority of Maine, or FAME, provided unanimous support for loan insurance on a direct loan by Machias Savings Bank relating to the $110 million land-based aquaculture facility.

FAME approved 90% pro rata loan insurance on a $2 million loan by Machias Savings Bank, paving the way for the development of the Jonesport facility to be finalized. FAME’s Commercial Loan Insurance Program insures a portion of a loan to a business made by a participating financial institution or investment firm.

Groundwork is expected to begin sometime this year.

At 50,000 square feet, the planned facility intends to hire up to 100 workers during a phased build-out, although up to 10 full-time jobs at the site are expected once operational.

Kingfish Maine is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kingfish Co. and will deploy the same advanced technology proven at the company’s facility in the Netherlands. Once the Jonesport facility is fully operational, it is projected to produce 8,500 metric tons of yellowtail. It’s expected that Kingfish Maine will be the largest producer of yellowtail kingfish in the U.S.