Forever Oceans has announced it has signed a deal with the Brazilian government granting it what it calls the world’s largest concession area for aquaculture.
Gainesville, Virginia, U.S.A.-based Forever Oceans, which farms ocean-raised seriola rivoliana in Panama, Brazil, Indonesia, and the U.S. state of Hawaii and sells it in fillets and whole under the brand Forever Oceans Kahala, announced the agreement on Thursday, 13 January. It authorizes the company to raise fish within automated enclosures that will be located in two zones, located between 4.3 and 9.3 miles off the coast of the Brazilian state of Bahia. The two zones combined comprise an area of 64,200 hectares, roughly three-and-a-half times the size of Washington D.C. – the largest concession ever given for marine aquaculture. The current agreement will allow the company to raise fish in the area for 20 years, according to Forever Oceans.
“This agreement will help us to serve the growing demand for delicious, nutritious seafood and gives us the space to scale and grow rapidly, and the opportunity to develop the largest offshore sustainable seafood capability in the world,” Bien, who was named Forever Oceans’ CEO in November, said.
The company first debuted its deep-ocean raised Forever Oceans Kahala product, an ocean-rased Seriola rivoliana, last year – with a showcase at Seafood Expo North America Reconnect in March 2021. The company’s product is raised using a unique automated process that uses robots to nurture its fish with minimal human contact.
The company said Bien met with Brazil Secretary of Aquaculture and Fisheries Jorge Seif Junior to sign the concession. In addition to the new concessions in Brazil, where it will raise Forever Oceans Amberjack – known locally as “olho de boi” or remerio, the company operates research and technology facility in Hawaii and an offshore operation in Panama – with plans for another offshore facility in Indonesia.
“We will bring our different approach to the waters of Brazil, applying our expertise in aquaculture, conservation, and innovation to raise delicious and protein-rich fish in deep-ocean waters in a highly environmentally-friendly and sustainable way that’s good for people and the planet,” Bien said.
The company told SeafoodSource in September that it had plans in the works to ramp up production and increase its distribution to new channels.
“All our supply chain partners will be fully on board and serving premier retailers and restaurants across the U.S.,” the company said. “We will be scaling up operations and will be bringing to market other high-value fish in the U.S. We will expand our number of employees globally while maintaining our competitive edge in technology for remotely raising and monitoring our fish while protecting our oceans.”
As part of the new facility in Brazil, an onshore hatchery in Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil will be used to supply fingerlings raised from eggs for placement into the facility’s deep-ocean enclosures. To start, 24 automated enclosures are being planned for the two ocean zones, which comprise “eco-friendly aquaculture zones,” according to Forever Oceans. The operation, once it reaches full capacity, is expected to provide 300 to 500 jobs in the region – though the company did not specify production volumes or the cost of the new facility.
Seif said the signing is in part a recognition that Brazil’s coastline lends itself to sustainable aquaculture.
“With a coastline of more than 8,500 kilometers, Brazil is one of the main frontiers for fish production, generating, in addition to healthy food, employment and income.” he said. “This landmark agreement is historic for Brazil and will set the country on the path to the development of sustainable marine aquaculture.”
Forever Oceans added that its commercial products will be in U.S. restaurants in early 2022.
Photo courtesy of Alan Santos/PR
