Kingfish Maine passes last legal test
Yellowtail farmer The Kingfish Company has overcome what it hopes is the final legal hurdle in the way of its planned development in Maine, USA.
Opponents of the project had appealed against a decision of the Maine Superior Court affirming state permits for the new plant under Maine’s Site Location of Development Act (SLODA) and Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA). This appeal has also now been turned down, by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
The Kingfish Company is looking to build a RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) farm near Jonesport, Maine, to farm yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi), also known as amberjack or hiramasa. The company already has a kingfish farm in operation in Zeeland, in the Netherlands.
The permit for the Maine facility was initially issued by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in 2021. Opposition groups appealed the permit decision twice - to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection then to the Maine Superior Court. Both appeals were denied.
In this latest court decision, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court denied the opponent’s appeal of the Maine Superior Court decision, upholding the original Maine Bureau of Environmental Protection decision. Kingfish Maine remains fully permitted with all required local, state and federal permits.
Kingfish Company CEO Vincent Erenst said: “This has been a multi-year battle with a small group of opponents which worked to stop our project. Due to this opposition, our project was delayed by almost four years.”
The project was first introduced to the Jonesport community in 2019 and the permitting process was completed during the pandemic. The opponents filed multiple appeals of the state and local planning board permits over three years, which severely delayed the design and construction process.
Erenst said: “Our construction timeline for the Jonesport facility was, unfortunately, significantly delayed by several years due to the multiple appeals by opponents. 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.”
He added: “This is a win for Maine and the United States with regard to seafood production. 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.”
When completed, the Jonesport facility will produce 8,500 tonnes of yellowtail annually, the company says.
Why not try these links to see what our Fish Farmer AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
You May Also Like
Sign up to our daily Newsletters
Permission Statement
Yes! I would like to be sent emails from Fish Farmer Magazine
I understand that my personal information will not be shared with any third parties, and will only be used to provide me with useful targeted articles as indicated.
I'm also aware that I can un-subscribe at any point either from each email notification or on My Account screen.
© 2025 Fish Farmer.