Yellowtail kingfish, or hiramasa kingfish, produced by Clean Seas of South Australia, is now compliant with Friend of the Sea criteria for sustainable aquaculture.
The kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is sold to domestic and international markets under the brand hiramasa|kingfish.
Clean Seas is the only commercial producer of yellowtail kingfish in Australia. The company’s Arno Bay Hatchery consists of 406 hectares of coastal and estuarine environment to grow fingerlings indoors with filtered seawater pumped directly from an ocean intake. The fingerlings are then transferred to grow-out sea pens in open water sea farm sites located in the Spencer Gulf.
“We are pleased to see our efforts confirmed and recognizable around the world, as our products will continue displaying the Friend of the Sea logo in Europe, Asia and North America,” said Dr. Craig Foster, CEO of Clean Seas, which is on track to increase its annual kingfish sales from 570 metric tones (MT) in 2012/2013 to 1,500 MT by 2015 to meet rising global demand.
“We recognize that the quality of our farmed seafood is determined by our customers’ needs and expectations. To achieve this, we are committed to a process of continually improving our operations and our fish,” added Foster. “Consumers need to know when purchasing seafood that there is an alternative to purchasing a depleting seafood species, the alternative is to buy a sustainable aquaculture product that carries the Friend of the Sea seal of approval.”
