Whole Oceans opens new office near planned RAS facility location

Whole Oceans, a Maine, U.S.A.-based company in the process of constructing a salmon recirculating aquaculture system facility, announced that it has opened a new office near the site of its planned farm in Bucksport, Maine.

Whole Oceans is planning to construct a 945,000-square-foot facility in multiple phases over an estimated 10-year period, with the goal of producing roughly 50,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon annually. The company purchased the site of a former paper mill in May 2019, and soon after submitted the building permit application for the facility.

The new office, located on 52 Main Street in downtown Bucksport, replaces the office that was in Portland, Maine. Michael Thompson, who joined the company as senior project coordinator, and Senior Hatchery Manager Orfa Cabrera are operating out of the new office.

“We are excited to take one step closer to bringing this new industry to the town of Bucksport and the state of Maine,” Whole Oceans CEO Jacob Bartlett said. “Joining the downtown business community in Bucksport will help us deepen the relationships we’ve already formed in the community as we look toward a successful future together.”

The project is currently in its pre-construction phase and “continues to make progress toward groundbreaking for the Bucksport facility.” Most of the structures that remained on the site from the former paper mill have been demolished, the company said.

Bucksport Town Manager Susan Lessard said the town is open to the project and sees the office opening on Main Street as a positive sign.

“The town of Bucksport and the community welcomes Whole Oceans to Main Street, as this is one step closer to future growth,” she said.  

Photo courtesy of Whole Oceans