After seven years of planning, Nordic Aquafarms has officially abandoned its ambitious $650 million land-based fish factory project on the Samoa Peninsula in Humboldt Bay. The decision was confirmed following the quiet dissolution of the company’s California affiliate and subsequent verification by Chris Mikkelsen, the Executive Director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor District. This withdrawal mirrors the company’s previous retreat from a similar project in Belfast, Maine, which was stymied by costly legal battles and local opposition.
The project’s collapse marks a significant economic blow to local government agencies. The Humboldt Bay Harbor District stands to lose a 30-year lease agreement that would have eventually generated over $160,000 in annual rent, while the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District loses a much-needed industrial-scale customer for its surplus water rights. The facility was intended to revitalize a designated brownfield—the former site of the Evergreen Pulp Mill – by producing 27,000 metric tons of Yellowtail kingfish annually and providing up to 150 full-time jobs.
Despite having secured three major coastal development permits and completing an extensive environmental impact report in 2024, Nordic Aquafarms has opted for an “orderly wind-down” of its operations in the region. The departure leaves the Harbor District and the County to manage the remains of the project and address the fiscal impact of losing one of the largest proposed economic developments in the area’s recent history.