Maricao fish hatchery, closed since Hurricane María, has $13.2 million obligated for its rebuild and no permit filed yet
The rehabilitation of the Maricao Fish Hatchery, closed for nine years since Hurricane María, is moving forward with $13,195,957.41 in obligated funds, elvocero.com reported on October 4, 2026. During a visit to the site, the House Speaker, a state representative, the mayor of Maricao and an undersecretary of Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources discussed where the project stands.
A hatchery shut since 2017
The hatchery opened in 1938 and was the only freshwater fish production facility in Puerto Rico, according to the outlet. Between 2004 and 2015, it produced about 125,000 fish a year to stock reservoirs around the island.
Hurricane María struck in September 2017 and damaged the gabions, dikes, electrical systems, tanks, bridges, roads and support structures at the site, the outlet reported. The facility has stayed closed since then.
The design for the rebuild is 80% complete, the outlet reported. Before construction can begin, the department must submit that design to FEMA for approval. Officials see the reopening as a way to bring more tourism to Maricao, elvocero.com reported.
The site in the permit record
The hatchery sits on a 105,717 m2 property, about 10.6 hectares, on Carretera 120 at Km 19 in Maricao Afuera. The Puerto Rico Land Use Plan classes it as specially protected rural land for agriculture, 90% of it is zoned for general development, and it lies outside the mapped flood zones.
The property's only filings are three infrastructure recommendation requests for electrical improvements to the hatchery, approved in August 2015 and April 2016. No filing for the rebuild appears in the record, which is where the project stands: the design must clear FEMA before a construction permit can be sought.
Across Maricao, the permit registers record 80 approved permits in 2025. That figure counts permits approved, not homes built.
A small property market
Home sales in the town are few. Registered sale deeds show 3 residential sales in Maricao in October 2025, the latest month available, at a median recorded price of $45,000. The town's market profile is at Maricao market profile.
Listings are also few. Sellers had 9 homes actively listed for sale in Maricao on October 18, 2026, at a median asking price of $158,000 in September 2026, from a small sample.
For visitors, the town has 15 active short-term rental listings from six hosts, at a median of $247 a night.