July 23, 2013 — Plans are moving forward for a third proposed fish farming operation in the Downeast lobstering village of Corea. RAS Corporation, a developer of aquaculture technology, has closed on a new round of financing from Coastal Enterprises Inc. to test the viability of raising black sea bass and California yellowtail though a land-based production system. Company officials say the infrastructure at the former Navy base in Corea makes it a leading candidate for a fish-farming operation, and have secured a purchase option there. A.J. Higgins has more.
As the chairman and chief business officer for the Brunswick-based RAS Corporation, Ed Robinson says his company didn't have to think twice about the potential of basing a fish-farming production facility at the site of the former naval surveillance operations center in Corea. He says it was already zoned by the governing town of Gouldsboro for aquaculture, has a potential work force familiar with marine-related industries and the necessary support infrastructure in place.
"You simply have to look at the whole package here, and Corea would appear to offer a number of opportunities for us," Robinson says.
RAS has purchased an option on a seven-acre parcel and a 40,000-square foot building at the former Navy base that is surrounded by hundreds of acres administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
The facility is already being considered for aquaculture operations by two other firms, Maine Halibut and Palom Aquaculture LLC. Robinson says a final decision on whether to locate in Corea could be made in six to 12 months.
Read the full story at Maine Public Broadcasting Network