Umami Sustainable Seafood on Wednesday announced that it acquired the assets of a Croatian bluefin tuna-farming operation for approximately USD 4.9 million.
The deal, which is subject to approval by Croatian authorities, includes 1,500 metric tons of farming capacity and the respective farming licenses, which will boost the farming capacity of Umami’s Croatian subsidiary, Kali Tuna, by approximately 45 percent to 4,800 metric tons. The assets are located near Split, Croatia, less than 100 miles from Kali Tuna’s operations in Kali, Croatia.
In January, Umami purchased roughly 150 metric tons of live bluefin tuna from the operation, which is declined to name.
Oli Steindorsson, Umami chairman and CEO, called the acquisition “an integral part” of the company’s plan to increase its capacity in Croatia.
“We purchased live bluefin tuna to effectively secure the acquisition of the farming concessions and assets, facilitating an increase in Kali Tuna’s level of sustainable production,” he said. “The locations of the new concessions are in the protected waters of the Adriatic Sea and the physical distance is close enough to our present Kali facilities for efficient operations and far enough to allow geographic diversity of locations.”
Added Steindorsson, “Coming on the back of our acquisition of Baja Aquafarms in Mexico, the purchase of the additional concessions in Croatia reflects Umami’s commitment to building our sustainable production base for bluefin tuna and to growing into one of the world’s leading participants in sustainable aquaculture.”
San Diego-based Umami, which is owned by Atlantis Group, expects to produce more than 5,000 metric tons of bluefin tuna annually by fiscal 2013.
