Week 16 was busy for the Kats, Netherlands-headquartered Kingfish Company as it presented an online business update on April 14 and launched vacuum packs of ready-to-eat sashimi grade frozen and non-frozen portions of yellowtail kingfish at the Whole Foods Market retail chain in the USA on the 15th. Certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), the product is sustainable, non-GMO, and antibiotics-free.
As part of its focus on retail, the Dutch company is now offering a range of retail-ready products including skinless, boneless, fixed weight individually vacuum-packed fish portions. A full line of loin/belly/tail fixed weight offerings is available, with additional value-added products now in advanced development.
Annual production capacity of yellowtail at the Kingfish facility
on the shores of the Oosterschelde marine nature reserve in Zeeland is 1,250 tons. Expansion now underway will boost capacity in the Netherlands to 3,000 tons by the second half of 2022. In the United States, permitting for a 6,000-8,000 ton capacity facility in Jonesport, Maine, is progressing as planned, with production scheduled to begin during the second half of 2023.
The company’s farming of Yellowtail Kingfish (also known as Ricciola/Hiramasa/Greater Amberjack) is based on advanced recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) which protect biodiversity and ensure bio security. The fish is grown in seawater without use of antibiotics and vaccines. Operations run on 100 percent renewable energy, sourced from wind, solar and biogas.
