A Setback for Millinocket's Industrial Comeback
The former Great Northern Paper mill site in Millinocket sits silent again. Great Northern Salmon has officially placed its $300 million land-based Atlantic salmon farm on hold. This project represented a massive opportunity to return stable, high-paying jobs to a community defined by the 2008 collapse of its paper manufacturing base. Now, the sprawling 1,400-acre One North site faces another period of uncertainty.
CEO Marianne Naess confirmed the decision stems from the current climate of trade disputes between the United States and Canada. The company requires specialized recirculating aquaculture equipment, much of which is produced with foreign steel and must be imported. With the current unpredictability surrounding trade policy and tariff costs, the company opted to wait for a more stable economic environment before moving forward with construction. Initial site work was 80 percent complete, but the shovel-ready status of the project has vanished for the immediate term.
Public Investment and Local Stakes
This delay carries significant weight because of the public resources already poured into the property. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided a $5 million grant to Our Katahdin specifically for site remediation. Additionally, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development chipped in $1 million, while the Maine Technology Institute contributed another $2 million. These funds were intended to ready the infrastructure for a facility that promised 70 to 80 permanent jobs and hundreds of construction positions.
One North represents more than just a single business plan. The property boasts rail access and 126 megawatts of renewable hydroelectric power. When the salmon farm was announced, it seemed to be the catalyst that would finally turn the page on a decades-long search for a new economic identity. The company had already secured sales agreements and capital partners, signaling that the venture was well past the conceptual stage.
The Paradox of Protectionism
Maine’s economy remains deeply intertwined with Canada. In 2025, Maine exported $3.2 billion in goods, and 41 percent of those exports went to the Canadian market. This trade relationship is vital, supporting an estimated 11,000 jobs. Senator Susan Collins has been vocal about the risks, noting that Maine imports roughly $2 billion in non-petroleum goods from Canada annually. When supply chains are this interconnected, the ripple effects of trade disputes are immediate and harsh.
Retaliatory tariffs currently threaten $170 million in Maine goods, with the forest products industry facing the brunt of the potential impact. While Canada recently exempted American seafood and fish from its tariff list, the broader trade environment remains hostile. The administration argues that these measures force better deals and encourage domestic production. However, the Millinocket project highlights a practical failure of this strategy: you cannot build domestic production if the essential foreign equipment used to assemble that production becomes cost-prohibitive due to the very tariffs meant to protect the industry.
What Comes Next for the Katahdin Region
Millinocket stands at a familiar crossroads. The town has endured the loss of the massive Great Northern Paper workforce, which once employed 4,400 people. Residents are accustomed to waiting for promises of a new industrial era to materialize. While Great Northern Salmon has not abandoned the site, there is no set timeline for restarting. The company faces the pressure of potentially losing the site if other industrial opportunities arise in the interim.
For now, the project remains an example of global trade policy colliding with the realities of rural development. The facility was designed to produce 7,500 metric tons of salmon annually, offering a concrete way to replace imports. Instead, it serves as a reminder of how trade wars function on the ground. The construction equipment is sitting idle, and the promised jobs remain theoretical. The broader significance is clear: as long as trade systems remain in flux, large-scale industrial investment in regions like Millinocket will continue to face, at best, a long and difficult wait.