08/29/2026
The developers of a land-based salmon farm in Millinocket say their project is on hold due to uncertainty with Canadian tariffs.
Great Northern Salmon, Inc. planned to build a $300 million aquaculture facility at the site of the Great Northern Paper Mill. The project was a partnership with the nonprofit Our Katahdin, which redeveloping the former mill site.
The company had its aquaculture license. Planning and design work were finished, and the initial site preparations were about 80% complete, said Marianne Naess, CEO of Great Northern Salmon.
Engineering work was expected to start this fall and construction in the spring, she said.
"But we decided we need to postpone it and see what happens, to ensure we have a more stable and predictable environment," she said.
Naess said much of the equipment for the salmon farm has steel components and needs to be imported, because the United States does not have a large aquaculture industry.
The company has not set a timeline for reexamining the project's future, Naess said she and Our Katahdin hope it can be revived.
"if someone else comes and is interested in this site, we would of course grant them the right to lease it to someone else," Naess said. "We can't hold up economic development, because Millinocket really needs it."
And Naess said she believes Maine is the right place for aquaculture.
"This has nothing to do with Maine," she added. "This has everything to do with the more unpredictable environment that we're in right now."
✍️ Nicole Ogrysko/Maine Public
📸 Gabor Degre/Bangor Daily News file
