Nordic Aquafarms Belfast site in Maine, United States.
Photo: Nordic Aquafarms Inc.
Nordic Aquafarms has finally decided to quit on the U.S. East Coast, so the company announced it will no longer pursue its Belfast, Maine, aquaculture project. "This decision comes after long-fought legal challenges waged by opposition," the statement read. "The company exits after tens of millions of investment dollars and many years of planning and permitting in the State of Maine," it continued.
In 2020, the U.S. branch of Nordic Aquafarms received all necessary local, state, and federal permits to build a land-based salmon farm on the 57-acre site located in Belfast, Maine. However, since then, it has been defending them along with other legal challenges that have repeatedly landed them in court.
In the release announcing the decision, the company insisted that it is essential to recognize that significant environmental progress requires practical solutions, and that land-based aquaculture is one such solution, as it offers a scalable and sustainable way to meet the growing demand for seafood without depleting or damaging our oceans.
Moreover, Nordic Aquafarms Inc. added that the overwhelming consensus among experts and decision-makers in the area in Maine where its land-based salmon farm was to be located was that the project was aligned with environmental and community objectives.
Therefore, Brenda Chandler, CEO of the company in the U.S., had a few words of thanks for those members of the community who have supported the project over the years. "I cannot thank our supporters enough," she said. "We sincerely thank the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on this project at city, state, and federal levels; and we want to send special thanks to our supporters who advocated with reason and truth."
"This is a sad day for Maine's economy and outlook for aquaculture or any significant investment in the State," Chandler added. "While a few may view this as a victory, we argue that this is a significant loss overall, not just for Nordic Aquafarms but for the community. The expanded tax base for the City of Belfast was significant; new jobs for the area was significant; and Maine's leadership in aquaculture-born solutions also significant."
Also, in her statements, Nordic Aquafarms Inc. CEO, emphasized that "Activism has its place, but with oceans under increasing pressure, solutions like land-based aquaculture are not just innovative-they are essential. By cultivating finfish in a controlled, environmentally responsible manner, land-based aquaculture addresses several critical challenges: a reduction of the overall CO2 footprint; minimizing water usage; reducing reliance on imported seafood; and protecting wild fish populations."
"We have emphasized these points before, and they are more important now than ever," she continued. "At a time when global food security is a pressing issue, projects like this represent a small but impactful step toward a more sustainable future."
From now on, within the United States, the fish farming company will only follow this path of sustainability in its California project, which got the green light at the same time that the Maine's got another setback. Nordic Aquafarms secured the necessary permits to move forward with its West Coast aquaculture project at the end of May 2024, after proposing an alternative scheme to the official, a smaller land-based facility to farm yellowtail kingfish in Humboldt County.