A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed sales of farmed seafood in Hawaii generated USD 83.2 million (EUR 70.1 million) in 2019, eclipsing the previous all-time high in the state of USD 78.2 million (EUR 65.9 million), according to the Associated Press.
The total includes finfish, shellfish, and algae sales. Finfish and shellfish sales on their own generated USD 47.9 million (EUR 40.4 million).
Two firms leading Hawaii’s aquaculture sector are Blue Ocean Mariculture (BOM) and Kowa Premium Foods Hawaiʻi (KPF), also known as Big Island Abalone. The two companies recently announced the planned addition of 150 new jobs in coming years, according to an announcement from Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige.
“The timing for this expansion could not be better. The creation of over 150 short- and long-term jobs in diversified industry sectors is key to reviving our economy in a post-COVID-19 world,” Ige said. “Hawaiʻi has long been home to both pioneering industry research efforts and commercial activities in aquaculture. The significant expansion plans announced by these two companies will only enhance our brand as a leader in the global aquaculture industry.”
Kowa Premium Foods Hawaii is currently expanding its current 10-acre abalone facility by an additional 15 acres, and BOM is in the process of establishing a finfish processing center to allow it to expand its premium Hawaiian Kanpachi brand. Both companies are located in the Hawaiʻi Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park, an industrial park geared toward marine-focused businesses, operated by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority (NELHA).
With its expansion, KPF hopes to improve production and operational efficiencies and increase product offerings, according to company COO Satoshi Yoshida. In addition, KPF Hawaii will build an experimental canning and warehousing facility, administrative offices, a sales facility, along with a full-service research and development restaurant and a visitors’ center. The company said it will consider adding a research and development laboratory and expanding its canning operations in a second phase of expansion.
“After extensive examination, KPF Hawaii is now committed to move forward with our research and development-based aquaculture expansion plans that are in keeping with NELHA’s core mission of supporting sustainable industries using sunshine, seawater, and ingenuity,” Yoshida said. “Construction of new facilities will be completed in three phases over the next several years.”
BOM currently operates a hatchery in HOST Park that produces fingerlings for its offshore operations, and the company is in the process of constructing a finfish processing center inside the business park to process its kanpachi and perform custom finfish processing for third parties. The new processing facility will have a capacity of 2,000 metric tons of fish annually.
According to BOM CEO Dick Jones, the facility will allow BOM to broaden its target markets, as the company had been focusing on serving high-end restaurants with fresh whole fish.
"We are setting the foundation for the future of domestically produced aquaculture as we significantly expand our production of the only commercially available open-ocean grown fish in the U.S.A,” Jones said. “The opportunities are unparalleled and with the strong support of the state of Hawaiʻi, we are poised for a sustained period of growth in production as well as finfish processing in Hawaiʻi.”
The HOST Park is located on 870 acres of coastal property in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, and offers research support facilities for the development of renewable energy, as well supplies of both warm surface and cold deep sea-water 24 hours a day.
“These are great assets for HOST Park and will add a new dimension to the growing aquaculture industry in Hawaiʻi while elevating our brand as a leader,” NELHA Executive Director Gregory Barbour said of KPF and BOM. “ Many people have come together to make these initiatives a reality and we are thrilled by the positive feedback from these companies to create much-needed jobs.”
Photo courtesy of Big Island Abalone
