After emigrating from Japan to the U.S. state of California in the early 1980s, Taka Iwasaki, Ming Wu, and Hugo Yamakawa soon set about creating the first modern surimi manufacturing facility in North America.
The realization of that goal came in 1991, when the trio officially formed Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S.A.-based Aquamar, supplying Japanese restaurants with surimi for California rolls and other items.
As the company has expanded, it has kept surimi as a core focus but has also set its sights on a wider range of value-added products both for retail and foodservice channels.
At the 2025 Seafood Expo North America (SENA), the supplier debuted a refrigerated, fully cooked, pan-seared mahi line in several flavors such as spiced chili lime, Thai coconut curry, and creamy basil pesto.
Building on that momentum, at this year’s SENA, which will be held in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., from 15 to 17 March, Aquamar announced it will be launching a fully cooked, refrigerated, value-added seafood line that includes Pan-Seared Creamy Basil Pesto Pacific Cod, Pan-Seared Spiced Chili Lime Pacific Cod, and Pan-Seared Lemon Butter Pacific Cod.
It is also debuting frozen Crispy Scallop Bites and frozen Salmon Wellington with Cheddar, Lemon, and Spinach.
As with all of the firm’s products, the focal point of the new rollouts is to make preparing seafood at home convenient and affordable, Aquamar CEO Daryl Gormley told SeafoodSource.
“Consumers say they want to eat more seafood … but are just not comfortable making it at home,” Gormley said. “If we are going to drive seafood consumption, we need to remove the convenience barrier.”
The new seafood meals are fully cooked, paired with sauces, and are priced reasonably to appeal to a broad range of demographics.
“We want to help bring seafood to all people, no matter their income level,” Gormley said.
In addition to growing its retail and foodservice business this year, “we are absolutely invested in acquisitions,” he said.
Aquamar is seeking surimi companies and seafood processors with value-added processing capability anywhere in the world, Gormley said, and while seafood mergers and acquisitions slowed last year due to U.S. tariffs, among other economic and political obstacles, Gormley said the time is right to pursue acquisition opportunities.
“In times when there is turmoil, there are risks, but there are also extraordinary opportunities. We look at it with relish. While other people are blinking, we are leaning in,” Gormley said.
Aiding in its ability to acquire and expand is the fact that Aquamar already has robust sales, marketing, and supply chain capacity to increase both retail and foodservice distribution, Gormley said, including through its recent hiring of Brian Bissell as chief marketing officer in late January.
With experience at Hillshire Brands, ConAgra Foods, TreeHouse Foods, and Morton Salt, Bissell brings more than 15 years of marketing, innovation, and commercial leadership experience, according to Gormley. Before coming to Aquamar, Bissell progressed through multiple leadership roles at Morton Salt, ending up as head of marketing for North America.
“This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a team with bold ambitions, real authenticity, a commitment to brand building and innovation, and a passion for working with customers to shape the future of seafood consumption. I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store,” Bissell said in a LinkedIn post about his hiring.
Over the next year, Aquamar is also focused on helping retailers, restaurants, and grocery sushi providers grow their seafood categories.
To accomplish that goal, Aquamar has partnered with the Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) on its “Fall in Love with Seafood” campaign, which has produced “extraordinary returns on investment” for seafood suppliers and retailers, Gormley said.
“Driving awareness is always helpful. It is better for us to work together to grow the pie than compete against one another,” he said.
Additionally, Aquamar is actively promoting the health and nutritional benefits of seafood via the newly updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other avenues, which will help boost sales across the industry, Gormley said.
“It is such a huge win for the industry. It is really remarkable and is a result of an effort by the industry over the years,” Gormley said. “It is going to be good for seafood and the broader communities.”
