AUGUSTA – The city may seem to be an unusual spot to start a business breeding tropical fish.

After all, Maine’s capital is about an hour’s drive from the ocean, and its climate is far from tropical.

But city officials have learned that a local businessman wants to open an indoor tropical-fish breeding operation with 200 to 400 individual small breeding tanks measuring roughly 4 by 4 by 3 feet. The breeding area would be part of a larger aquaculture operation that could also process live mussels imported from Newfoundland in a large saltwater tank for resale.

“In Maine, aquaculture usually means cold-water food fish, like salmon raised in pens in the ocean. But not in this case,” said Matt Nazar, deputy development director for the city of Augusta. “This type of aquaculture could occur anywhere. It’s basically a big warehouse that you keep warm.”

The city has not yet received an application from prospective business owner Joseph Sutton, who co-owns the well-known, Augusta-based classified advertising publication Uncle Henry’s. Sutton could not be reached for comment last week.

A representative for Sutton, though, has told city officials that the businessman hopes to breed tropical fish to be sold to pet stores, and process imported mussels and possibly clams in a saltwater habitat. The operation would be housed in a new building to be constructed behind the Uncle Henry’s on Route 17, at 525 Eastern Ave.