The permits held by Palom Aquaculture LLC represent years of regulatory engagement and agency approval that a new applicant would have to replicate from scratch. Here is what each permit covers, what it authorizes, and what it means for an incoming operator.
What it covers: discharge of treated aquaculture wastewater to Prospect Harbor. Any facility discharging to Maine state waters requires this license. What it authorizes: discharge from a recirculating aquaculture system, with defined flow rates, water quality parameters, and monitoring requirements. Why it matters to a buyer: DEP discharge permitting for coastal aquaculture is a multi-year process involving public notice and environmental review. An active permit removes that process; a buyer modifying or expanding within the existing framework faces a shorter path than a new applicant. Current status: active and transferable, subject to DEP notification and standard buyer qualification review.
What it covers: propagation and rearing of non-native salmonid stock at this site. What it authorizes: land-based RAS production of salmonid stock at the Gouldsboro location, with specified production parameters. Why it matters to a buyer: DMR licensing for non-native species involves biological review and coordination with federal fisheries agencies. An active license with species approval already in place removes uncertainty about whether the intended production species is approved for this site. Current status: active and transferable to a qualified operator.
What it covers: work in waters of the United States, specifically the seawater intake and discharge pipeline through the easement corridor to Prospect Harbor. What it authorizes: construction and operation of the seawater conveyance infrastructure. Why it matters to a buyer: ACOE permitting for coastal water infrastructure is federally administered and historically slow. This permit's two prior renewals mean federal authorization for the seawater system already exists. Note: the infrastructure this permit authorizes has not yet been built — the permit authorizes construction; physical infrastructure remains a buyer-funded project estimated at approximately $1.5 million. Current status: active, in its third renewal review, transferable.
Recorded 30-foot right-of-way easements run from the property to Prospect Harbor, covering both intake and discharge routes. Easements are deeded property rights, not permits requiring renewal — they travel with the land and convey automatically at sale. A separate, second utility easement runs from Lot 4 to the ocean; it is not covered by the DEP, DMR, or ACOE permits above and would need its own permitting for any use.
Gouldsboro's land use ordinance currently limits finfish production at this site to 500 metric tons annually (exact ordinance units to be confirmed with the Town as part of diligence). This is a municipal ordinance matter, not a DEP, DMR, or ACOE constraint. State and federal permits already support up to 1,000 metric tons of salmonid production — raising production to that level would need only Town of Gouldsboro approval. An operator considering a different finfish species would need a state/federal permit modification and would likely remain subject to the town's cap, since it applies across finfish species rather than to salmonid specifically. Palom has engaged directly with Gouldsboro residents and officials on this topic; see the Aquaculture Buyers page for that history.
© 2026 Palom Aquaculture LLC. Permit status current as of date of last update; buyer should conduct independent verification of current permit status as part of due diligence. Information provided for informational purposes only.