Nordic AquaFarms - Humboldt Baykeeper

Nordic AquaFarms proposes to build a land-based fish farm at the former Samoa pulp mill that they say would use a mixture of fresh and salt water to raise 27,000 metric tons of Atlantic Salmon, discharging 12.5 million gallons of effluent daily through the existing 1½-mile long ocean outfall. Bay intakes would supply 10 mgd saltwater, while 2mgd freshwater would be supplied by the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. Remodeling the former pulp mill would include removing the smokestack and other asbestos- and lead-laden structures, debris, and contaminated soil.

Click HERE for our combined comments on the Draft EIR, submitted on behalf of Humboldt Baykeeper, Surfrider Foundation, EPIC, NEC, 350 Humboldt, Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, Save Our Salmon, and Sierra Club - Feb. 18, 2022.
Click HERE for our scoping comments submitted for the Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report on behalf of Humboldt Baykeeper, Surfrider Foundation, EPIC, NEC - July 6, 2021.
Click HERE for our comments on the Regional Water Board's draft NPDES permit on behalf of Humboldt Baykeeper, Surfrider Foundation, and EPIC - June 4, 2021.
Click HERE for our comments on the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration submitted on behalf of Humboldt Baykeeper, Surfrider Foundation, EPIC, NEC, 350 Humboldt, and Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities - May 24, 2021.
Click HERE for our initial statement on the proposed land-based fish farm - 2019.

We will continue to watchdog Nordic AquaFarms’ proposal, and will keep our members and the community informed of opportunities for input. To receive updates, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Humboldt County invites comments on Nordic AquaFarms project

On April 23, Humboldt County released its environmental review of Nordic AquaFarms' proposed fish factory at the former Samoa pulp mill. Comments are due May 24, and a County Planning Commission hearing is scheduled on June 3 at 6pm. The CEQA document and associated studies are posted HERE.

UPDATE: The Regional Water Board released the draft ocean discharge permit for the project. Comments are due June 4.

Update on Nordic AquaFarms’ Proposed Fish Factory in Samoa

On last week’s KMUD Environment Show, Tom Wheeler of EPIC interviewed Humboldt Baykeeper Director Jen Kalt about the latest of the Nordic AquaFarms proposal to raise Atlantic Salmon at the former pulp mill in Samoa. Click HERE for a discussion on what is being proposed, issues and concerns, and the timeline for public input.

Nordic Aquafarms Expands Aquaculture Facility Plans

Nordic Aquafarms has expanded its vision for a big land-based fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula.

On April 29, the Norwegian company agreed to lease an extra three acres of the former Evergreen Pulp Mill property from the Humboldt County Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District.

The agreement between Nordic Aquafarms and The Harbor District states that they will collaborate on a relocation plan for the tenants with long-term leases in the building. Nordic Aquafarms will also be responsible for demolition of the buildings on the additional acreage.

The company also announced it will apply for aquaculture permits for both Steelhead and Atlantic Salmon.

Fish farmers advance first permit applications

A huge indoor fish farm project has submitted a first round of permit applications and its managers are confident that regulators will find its environmental impacts to be minimal.

The Norway-based Nordic Aquafarms company took written questions and presented what its managers described as a “very low risk” project during a Sept. 9 videoconferenced public meeting.

Nordic has advanced discharge permit applications to the state’s water board and Coastal Commission. Humboldt County will take the lead on the project’s California Environmental Quality Act review and coastal development permitting.

Asked by Humboldt Baykeeper about use of chemicals to address disease outbreaks, anti-biotics and heavy metals, Noyes emphasized that land-based aquaculture facilities have “the ability to exclude parasites and pathogens” and a fish vaccination program will target “any identified pathogens of concern.”

Nordic’s fish farm plans beginning to take shape

While they’re not exactly finalized, a Norwegian company’s plans for a proposed fish farm at the site of a former pulp mill are starting to take shape.

“It takes about two years to build it,” said Marianne Naess, Nordic Aquafarms’ commercial director, at a meeting attended by a couple dozen people at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka on Tuesday night.

Nordic Aquafarms is still going through the permitting process to build the $400 million on-land fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula, but Naess said she expects the company to complete that process this summer and start demolition of the old buildings within a year to a year-and-half. Construction will likely start in 2021 or 2022, meaning fish will be on the market around 2024 or so, Naess said.

In terms of the soil and groundwater, Erik Nielsen, of SHN, said “they’re chipping away at the facility as things become available” because the buildings that remain are blocking their ability to check for dioxins and heavy metals, but so far the results are favorable.