An illustration of the planned Kingfish Maine facility. Work is expected to start on the site within weeks. Image: The Kingfish Company.

Kingfish Co wins final permits for US fish farm

Dutch on-land fish farmer The Kingfish Company’s second recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility has obtained final state level approvals, keeping the facility in Maine in the United States on schedule to break ground by the end of this year.

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The company said today that the US facility, which will have an annual capacity of 8,500 tonnes of yellowtail kingfish, received final state level permits last week. The documentation enables the project to begin construction on schedule.

The Kingfish Co said the permits indicated compliance with substantial checks, certifications and inspections by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) and were granted with the approval of Kingfish Maine’s SLODA (Site Location of Development Act) and NRPA (Natural Resources Protection Act) applications.

They are the last state-level permits needed to prepare the site for construction. Both critical water-side permits were obtained earlier this year.

100% renewable energy

The company currently produces 1,500 tonnes of yellowtail a year at its Kingfish Zeeland facility in the Netherlands and is expanding capacity to reach 3,500 tonnes in the second half of 2022.

In the US, production at Kingfish Maine is scheduled to start in the second half of 2023.

The company’s operations are powered entirely by renewable energy, sourced from wind, solar and biogas, and its RAS operate on sea water.

Its products are certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and British Retail Consortium (BRC).