Florida-based Pine Island Redfish has successfully harvested the first batch of red drum from its recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility.
Pine Island Redfish was launched by its CEO and co-founder Megan Sorby, formerly of Kingfish Maine, in 2023. Since that time, the company has been developing a facility to raise red drum commercially, making it the first aquaculture operation raising the fish.
“Since launching Pine Island Redfish late in 2023, we have concentrated on our biological prep work at our demonstration scale facility. And now, our efforts are paying off,” Sorby said in a release. “March 2025 marks our first harvest, and now we begin to fulfill the strong retail and restaurant demand for this incredible fish across the U.S.”
The first harvest will be sold in Publix retail locations in the Sarasota, Florida, area and at several restaurants in Florida, the company said.
“Our mission statement calls for us to be responsible citizens in our communities,” Publix Business Development Director of Seafood Guy Pizzuti said. “The Pine Island Redfish project allows us to continue our support of local Florida aquaculture. We are excited to offer this exclusive, limited harvest of sustainable, Florida-farmed redfish to our customers in the Sarasota area.”
Red drum, or redfish, was a highly popular fish in the U.S. south in the 1980s and early ‘90s, but overfishing eventually led to the federal government halting all commercial fishing of the species in 2007.
Since that time, there has been no commercial trade of the species – but Sorby said Pine Island Redfish is working to bring it back.
“Pine Island Redfish is bringing this highly prized fish back to the menu with RAS production and no compromise of our wild stock,” Sorby said. “We can offer year-round, consistent quality redfish. We are proudly the only ‘Fresh from Florida’ source, and we are grateful to be supported by Florida Division of Aquaculture in bringing this native fish home.”
Pine Island Redfish is also using its farm to help restore mangrove trees in Florida, and the company said so far, this first harvest has helped grow over 5,000 mangroves as part of coastal restoration efforts in the state.
“It is pretty special to bring our redfish to market knowing that for consumers, it is a seafood they can truly feel great about. It strengthened and nourished the future of our coastal ecosystems before making its way to market,” Sorby said.
