Atlantic Sapphire has finished construction at the first phase of its Miami, Florida, U.S.A.-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility and is projected to harvest 10,000 metric tons of salmon annually once commercial harvests commence, expected in September 2020.
The company harvested 166 metric tons of head-on gutted salmon from its Miami Bluehouse facility in the last quarter of 2020, in addition to 341 metric tons harvested from its test facilities in Denmark. In that same time period, biomass at the U.S. location grew by 1,500 tons and by about 600 metric tons in Denmark.
The company reported prices of USD 9.40 (EUR 7.60) per kilo and expects that figure to grow once harvest volumes reach a more substantial figure. The company claims it received a price of USD 12.00 (EUR 9.78) per kilo for its top-tier quality fish.
In the first quarter of 2021, the company said it will finalize design and cap-ex budget work. Construction of phase two of the facility is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2021.
Atlantic Sapphire has secured the key U.S. water permits to produce up to 90,000 metric tons onsite, and has a targeted harvest volume of 220,000 metric tons by 2031 – a total that is more than half of all farmed salmon consumed in the U.S. in 2018.
“In the near future, it will be as natural for consumers to prefer salmon from Florida as it is for them to seek lobsters from Maine and potatoes from Idaho,” a statement posted on the Miami Bluehouse website reads.
The company experienced several setbacks during the construction of its Florida location, largely due to construction difficulties and manpower problems caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But the company has remained optimistic about its production goals throughout, gaining key investors through a listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange as it reacted to setbacks.
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Sapphire
