Japanese seafood company Nissui announced it is launching a full-scale salmon farming begining with a new seedling operation in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture.
The company said in a release it has been conducting experimental salmon farming in the city since 2023, and as of 1 November it has begun stable production and shipments from its salmon facility. The land-based facility is starting under the umbrella of Yumigahama Suisan Co., and has been dubbed the "Nissui Kesengawa Fish Farm."
Nissui said the facility was a salmon and trout hatchery owned by the Hirota Bay Fisheries Cooperative to establish salmon seedling production.
“The fishery cooperative's salmon and trout hatchery has been responsible for the release of chum salmon for many years,” Nissui said.
The company said its operations will use part of the hatchery as a means of “utilizing existing resources” to farm salmon and increase supply chain resilience. The company said it renovated the cooperative’s chum salmon hatchery earlier this year in order to use it in salmon seed production, and has constructed a large tank adjacent to the hatchery to increase production capacity.
“While there are many salmon seed producers in the Tohoku region, the future outlook has become increasingly uncertain due to the effects of climate change,” Nissui said.
The company said the latest operation is part of its “Good Foods 2030” initiative, its ongoing strategic plan.
The company recently completed Stage 1 of Good Foods 2030, and is now focusing on “Good Foods Recipe 2,” which launched in April and aims to increase the company’s supply chain resilience.
Nissui said the new facility will be part of its efforts to increase its domestic salmon farming business, with a goal of achieving 10,000 metric tons (MT) of production by 2030.
