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Kingfish Maine wins permit case for Jonesport facility

The Kingfish Company N.V., a land-based producer of yellowtail kingfish, has won a court case in Maine that upholds the state permits for its Kingfish facility.

The state’s Supreme Judicial Court denied the most recent appeal from opponents of Kingfish Maine’s combined Site Location of Development Act (SLODA) and Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA) state permit.

Kingfish Maine was first introduced to the Jonesport community in 2019. The permit to build an 8,500-ton production facility was initially issued by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in 2021. But opposition groups appealed the permit decision to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection and the Maine Superior Court. Both appeals were denied. This has delayed the design and construction process.

“This has been a multi-year battle with a small group of opponents which worked to stop our project,” said Kingfish Company CEO Vincent Erenst. “Due to this opposition, our project was delayed by almost four years.”

Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court has now denied the opponent’s appeal of the Maine Superior Court decision, upholding the original Maine Bureau of Environmental Protection decision. So, Kingfish Maine remains fully permitted with all required local, state and federal permits.

“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. This is a win for Maine and the United States with regard to seafood production,” added Erenst.

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