The Jonesport, Maine, U.S.A. Planning Board has approved Kingfish Maine’s building permit application, clearing the final hurdle for The Kingfish Company to begin building its recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) farm in the small coastal town.
The Kingfish Company is planning to build an 8,500-metric-ton capacity yellowtail kingfish farm in Jonesport at an estimated cost of USD 110 million (EUR 110 million), and has now secured all necessary permits to do so.
“This local building permit is the final step required for Kingfish to begin pre-construction design and engineering on its new facility in the U.S.,” The Kingfish Company said in a press release. “The town of Jonesport is now drafting its findings of fact and the planning board is expected to formally adopt and sign the building permit in early November.”
The Kingfish Company has had trouble with fundraising for the project and has not yet announced when it will break ground in Jonesport, though it already has lined up subcontractors to handle groundwork and pre-construction, Kingfish Company CEO Ohad Maiman told SeafoodSource in March 2022.
“The Jonesport community has supported our project from day one and our commitment to the town has never wavered,” Maiman said in the 24 October release. “We value our continuing partnership with the town as we build out our sustainable land-based technology in the U.S.”
In its recently released financial results for the third quarter of 2022, The Kingfish Company reported a near-doubling of sales of yellowtail produced at its RAS facility in its global headquarters of Kats, the Netherlands. Maiman said the company has proved the validity of its farming model in Kats and hopes to follow a similar path in Maine.
“Once the Jonesport facility is fully operational, Kingfish Maine will be the largest producer of yellowtail kingfish in the U.S. and will provide local sustainable seafood for North American retailers and foodservice providers,” Maiman said. “With the final approval of our Jonesport building permit, we look forward to replicating our E.U. success in the U.S. with local production of high-value yellowtail.”
Image courtesy of The Kingfish Company
