Kingfish Maine celebrated its first harvest of yellowtail in April 2023.
Photo: Kingfish Maine.
The Kingfish Company's land-based aquaculture venture in Maine, Kingfish Maine, has cleared a significant legal hurdle following a decision by Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court this week, which has upheld state permits for the company's proposed yellowtail fish farm in Jonesport.
The original permit for Kingfish Maine's proposed land-based facility was issued in 2021 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Opponents of the project pursued multiple legal avenues to challenge the permit, but each appeal has been denied, most recently by the state’s highest court.
This week's ruling denies an appeal filed by opposition groups challenging the project's state permits, specifically those issued under the Site Location of Development Act (SLODA) and the Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA). The decision affirms prior rulings by the Maine Superior Court and the Board of Environmental Protection.
With the latest legal challenge resolved, Kingfish Maine now holds all required local, state, and federal permits, the company confirmed in a news announcement.
“This has been a multi-year battle with a small group of opponents which worked to stop our project,” said Vincent Erenst, CEO of The Kingfish Company, the Netherlands-based parent company. “Due to this opposition, our project was delayed by almost four years.”
The Jonesport facility, which was first introduced in 2019, experienced delays as opponents filed several appeals over a three-year period.
"Our construction timeline for the Jonesport facility was, unfortunately, significantly delayed by several years due to the multiple appeals by opponents," Erenst said.
"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.”
Since 2019, Kingfish Maine has been operating at operating at the University of Maine's Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) in Franklin, where it achieved its first harvest in 2023.
When operational, Kingfish Maine's Jonesport facility is expected to produce 8,500 metric tons of yellowtail kingfish annually.
“This is a win for Maine and the United States with regard to seafood production,” Erenst said.
“Currently, the US imports more than 85% of all seafood. The Kingfish Company’s Maine facility will specifically address US reliance on imports for protein-rich food sources. When completed, our Jonesport facility will provide local and US production of our high quality and high-value Yellowtail Kingfish," Erenst added.
