Nordic Aquafarms announced Friday that it will no longer pursue its land-based salmon farm in Belfast, after years of legal challenges from opponents.
The company said it has spent tens of millions of dollars on the project, and secured local, state and federal permits; calling the decision a sad day for the Maine economy and aquaculture industry.
But the project faced legal setbacks when trying to secure access to Penobscot Bay to draw water and discharge wastewater.
Belfast Mayor Eric Sanders said he is disappointed but not surprised by the announcement.
"And obviously, the tax money would have been hugely beneficial to the city of Belfast residents, and that would have been ongoing year after year," he said. "So that's a loss."
In a Facebook post, Upstream Watch, which has long opposed the project, said it is a huge win for the city, and that the project was ill-conceived, and would have polluted Penobscot Bay.
Sanders said he worries the dispute will discourage other businesses from locating there.
"There was a lot of reasons to like Nordic at the end of the day, but it's not to be," he said. "So we will figure something out up here and move forward with optimism and purpose, as we always do."
