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New land-based Atlantic salmon farm coming to California

Nordic Aquafarms has announced plans to build a land-based Atlantic salmon farm in California to be close to the regional markets it plans to serve.

February 11, 2019  By Liza Mayer


Google Earth image showing the property.

The facility will be built in Humboldt County, located about 270 miles north of San Francisco. It will be Nordic Aquafarms’ second land-based salmon farm in the United States and its first in the West Coast.

“The Humboldt location will enable us to reach more than 50 million people within a 12-hour drive or less, which reduces the cost and environmental impact of transportation while supplying the market with super-fresh, sustainably raised local fish,” said Marianne Naess, Commercial Director at Nordic Aquafarms.

The $400-million RAS facility is expected to create up to 80 new jobs and is designed to have a production capacity of 55 million lbs. The company said that a final decision on which species to raise – salmon or steelhead – will be based on market considerations and further discussions with the local permitting authorities.

On February 11, Nordic Aquafarms through its subsidiary California Marine Investments entered into an exclusive option agreement with the Humboldt Bay Harbor District to lease 30 acres on the Samoa peninsula near Eureka in Humboldt County. Key permits such as aquaculture licences are already in place, the company said.

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“This site meets all of our criteria for building a safe, clean, and sustainable fish farm, and we have been welcomed by local authorities who are excited about the many benefits this project can bring to the area,” said Erik Heim, president of Nordic Aquafarms Inc. 

The company is currently building a 40-acre land-based Atlantic salmon farm in Belfast, Maine, to serve the east coast market. That project is now in the permitting phase and plan to start construction later this year.


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