Nordic Aquafarms - Humboldt Waterkeeper

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 Yellowtail Kingfish, discharging up to 10.3 million gallons of effluent daily through the existing 1½-mile long ocean outfall. Bay intakes would supply 10 mgd saltwater, while 300,000 gallons per day of 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.

Below are our comments submitted on the Project's permits and environmental review:

Coastal Development Permit for the ocean discharge - Nov. 17, 2023
Regional Water Board's Draft NPDES permit (2.0) - Aug. 23, 2023
Humboldt County Coastal Development Permit and Special Permit - July 27, 2022.
Humboldt County Draft Environmental Impact Report - Feb. 18, 2022.
Scoping comments for the Notice of Preparation of a Draft EIR - July 6, 2021.
Regional Water Board's draft NPDES permit - June 4, 2021.
Humboldt County's Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration - May 24, 2021.
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 alerts [AT] humboldtwaterkeeper.org.

Public comments on Nordic Aquafarms’ draft EIR due Feb. 18

The public has two weeks left to provide input on Nordic Aquafarms’ draft environmental impact report for its proposed onshore fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula.

The project includes clean-up and redevelopment of the defunct Samoa pulp mill facility followed by the construction of five buildings with a combined footprint of approximately 766,000 square feet.

The behemoth document, which is roughly 1,800 pages long, found no areas in which the proposed farm would have a significant impact on the local environment. The minimal impact of some of the farm’s operations will have mitigating strategies in place, according to the document.

Jennifer Kalt, director of Humboldt Baykeeper, expressed her gratitude to Nordic for pursuing an EIR but said there is still concern surrounding ocean discharge and the potential to exacerbate toxic algae.

“We appreciate Nordic’s willingness to incorporate additional monitoring after the project is approved, but they used water quality data from inside Humboldt Bay in the model they used to show there won’t be impacts,” Kalt said. “Without relevant data on current conditions closer to the discharge point, it’s unclear how the discharge could alter the ocean environment.”

Delia Bense-Kang, a spokesperson for the Surfrider Foundation, had similar concerns.

“Since the 1991 Surfrider and Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act settlement made the pulp mills clean up their operations, the Samoa Peninsula has become one of the most popular surfing and bathing beaches in Humboldt County,” Bense-Kang said. “While the wastewater would not be as toxic as the pulp mills, there are still lots of unknowns such as significantly elevated temperatures of discharge — 68 to 72 degrees — we’d like to see analyzed with better data and modeling.”

Nordic Aquafarms releases draft EIR for public review

Humboldt County released the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for Nordic Aquafarms’ proposed onshore fish farm on Samoa Peninsula Monday.

The behemoth report, which is roughly 1,800 pages long, found no areas in which the proposed farm would have a significant impact on the local environment. The minimal impact of some of the farm’s operations will have mitigating strategies in place, according to the document.

The Humboldt County Planning and Building Department released a mitigated negative declaration for the project in April, but after public feedback calling for a deeper, more in-depth report, Nordic Aquafarms initiated an EIR.

Jennifer Kalt, director of Humboldt Baykeeper, a local environmental advocacy group, previously advocated for a full environmental impact report, rather than a mitigated negative declaration. She said she had not finished reading the enormous report when the Times-Standard reached out Monday, but that she was glad it happened.

Nordic AquaFarms Community Meeting, Nov. 10 at 6pm

Nordic AquaFarms is hosting a Community Town Hall via Zoom on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6 pm to provide an update on changes to the land-based aquaculture facility proposed at the former pulp mill in Samoa. We know there have been many changes in response to various concerns raised during the Initial Study, but this is the first opportunity to hear specifics. Note that this is NOT part of the official County process - it's an informal way for the community to learn about the project and ask questions. The County's Draft Environmental Impact Report is expected to be released for public review and comment.

Nordic invites community to tour fish farm site

Local officials and community members joined Nordic Aquafarms representatives for a site tour of the proposed onshore fish farm at the defunct Samoa pulp mill facility Thursday. The Norway-based seafood company launched the tour series last week in an effort to address community concerns surrounding the project.

Earlier this year, Nordic agreed to pursue an environmental impact report for the project in response to calls for further environmental analysis. Although the Humboldt County Planning and Building Department had already released a mitigated negative declaration for the project, a coalition of environmental groups argued that the assessment didn’t go far enough, citing concerns of energy use, fish feed, fish waste disposal, water use and transportation impacts.

If all goes according to plan, Naess said the EIR will be out for public review in September. “Then it goes for a 45-day public comment period and then, of course, we will need to respond to everything,” she said. “Then hopefully we will receive the final approval. Depending on whether or not it’s appealed, the project would go before the Board of Supervisors.”

Those interested in scheduling a tour of the project site can contact local liaison Lynette Mullen via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

(PHOTOS) Nordic Aquafarms Execs Lead Tour of the Corroding Remains of the Pulp Mill Property Where They Plan to Build a Big Land-Based Fish Farm

Executives from Nordic Aquafarms were busy this week giving a series of tours out on the Samoa Peninsula, offering politicians, environmentalists, fishermen and others an up-close view of the dilapidated industrial site — home to the corroding remains of the Evergreen Pulp mill — where the company plans to build a large, land-based fish farm.

The draft environmental impact report for the project is still being prepared, so some of the details remain in flux.

Jennifer Kalt, executive director of environmental nonprofit Humboldt Baykeeper, said her organization still has concerns about whether the project can be completed in a way that protects the ecosystems of Humboldt Bay and the nearby Pacific. But after touring the site on Wednesday, she said in a Facebook post that the project would include not only much-needed cleanup but also construction of a modern stormwater system.

“As it stands today, every major rainstorm carries polluted runoff into the bay,” the post reads. “And the way our legal system works, it will stay that way until someone invests in the cleanup. Nordic estimates it will cost $10+ million to demolish and remove everything. Sure, the Harbor District can continue applying for EPA Brownfields grants, but at $250,000 apiece, it would take several lifetimes.”

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