Whole Oceans moves closer to Bucksport salmon farm construction
After years of delay, Whole Oceans said it is moving ahead with site preparation work for its facility to raise Atlantic salmon where the Verso paper mill once stood in Bucksport.
The company said it was finalizing an agreement with a Maine construction company to begin site clean-up, grading and other work on the portion of the property, known as Lot 2, that has been previously approved by state and local officials.
The project received permits from the Bucksport Planning Board and approval from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in 2019.
In 2020, Whole Oceans, which proposed the land-based aquaculture facility located on 100 acres along the Penobscot River, acquired another parcel of land known as Lot 3. The site of the former Verso Paper mill building, the lot provides deep-water access and additional acreage for the project.
That acquisition provided an opportunity to consider how best to integrate Lot 3 into the design of the facility, the company said. As the design nears completion, the proposed uses on that property will be reviewed by the town of Bucksport and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for inclusion in the existing approvals, Whole Oceans said.
Whole Oceans has partnered with PR Aqua, a technology, service and equipment supplier of recirculating aquaculture system design and site consultation.
“This is a pivotal moment for Whole Oceans and it’s exciting to see our thoughtful planning moving forward with PR Aqua as our partner,” said Shayne De Lima, senior advisor of Whole Oceans.
PR Aqua has worked on RAS projects for 25 years and is currently engaged in multiple commercial scale projects.
"We took the time afforded to us to design a project based on state-of-the-art technology in order to ensure operational efficiency and commercial sustainability for this project in the emerging RAS industry in the United States,” said KC Hosler, chief technology officer of PR Aqua.
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