A 2018 artist’s rendering of the Nordic Aquafarms facility proposed for construction beside Little River in Belfast. Courtesy of Nordic Aquafarms

An environmental conservation nonprofit that fought to prevent a $500 million salmon farm from opening in Belfast is set to purchase the land the farm would have operated on. 

Upstream Watch is under contract to purchase the 54-acre property from Nordic Aquafarms, the Norwegian developer behind the controversial aquaculture project.

Interim Executive Director Pete Nichols said the purchase is a natural extension of Upstream Watch’s original goal: to conserve the land, its habitats, the adjacent Little River and the waters of Penobscot Bay. The area includes a public walking trail and swimming holes that will remain accessible.

“People are very excited to come full circle on this — defeating a project that was going to be incredibly impactful — and to know that that land will be preserved in perpetuity,” Nichols said.

The purchase is a precautionary measure to ensure the group doesn’t have future conservation battles to fight.

“With this land on the market, it really could have opened it up for other threats to come in and impact that area as well,” Nichols said. “We thought it was our duty, our obligation to our supporters who’d worked so hard to defeat the Nordic project.”

Nordic Aquafarms had been trying to open one of the world’s largest land-based salmon farms in Belfast since 2018.

But since the start, Nordic has faced relentless pushback. The local community was concerned that the farm would have negative environmental impacts, pollute Penobscot Bay, overwhelm local infrastructure and infringe on the rights of a conservation easement owned by neighbors. Upstream Watch, other conservation groups like the Friends of Harriet L. Hartley, and local community members took Nordic to court to halt the project.

Along the way, the project lost its leases and permits from government agencies. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled against the company’s rights to mudflats near the property. A Superior Court allowed opponents to challenge local approvals. And the Belfast City Council, which once supported the project and its potential economic benefits, reversed a decision to seize the mudflats Nordic needed to access Penobscot Bay (a decision Nordic later sued the city for).

A year after reaffirming its commitment in Belfast, Nordic announced in January that it was abandoning the project and selling the land.

“This is a sad day for Maine’s economy and outlook for aquaculture or any significant investment in the state,” CEO Brenda Chandler said at the time. “While a few may view this as a victory, we argue that this is a significant loss overall, not just for Nordic Aquafarms but for the community.”

Nordic listed the land, at 285 Northport Ave., off Route 1, for $2 million, according to Maine Listings.

Nichols would not say how much money Upstream Watch will spend on the property. Upstream Watch will put the $125,000 that Nordic owes the organization from a January settlement toward the purchase.

And Nichols said the organization will soon hold fundraising drives to pay for the land.

In the months that follow, the organization will begin engaging with the community for widespread vision planning, which will ultimately inform how the land will be used.

No matter what the community decides, Nichols said the priority will always be conservation.

Nordic declined to comment on the sale.