Industry update News post-smolt
Nordic Aquafarms switch to yellowtail in Humboldt Bay

Nordic Aquafarms is switching to raising yellowtail kingfish instead of salmon its land-based facility in Samoa Peninsula at Humboldt Bay, Calif., USA.

The proposed recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility was first announced in 2019 with the intention to convert a former Samoa pulp mill to a company facility that would raise Atlantic salmon. The US$500-million  project was initially intended to create 80 jobs and produce 50,000 tons of salmon per year.

However, the company first announced a full shift from from salmon to kingfish in Norway in 2022.

Sashimi Royal, which Nordic Aquafarms took over in 2020,  is the first large-scale producer of premium yellowtail kingfish in Northern Europe. In a 2022 press release, Nordic Aquafarms said the “newly expanded facility will also enable production of yellowtail at Fredrikstad Seafoods, preparing us for our transition from salmon to Kingfish in Norway.”

In April 2023, Nordic Aquafarms also announced that its Fredrikstad Seafoods was transitioning to yellowtail after four years of successful salmon production.

The Samoa Peninsula facility is still a phased project but will  “start smaller” than when the facility was intended for raising salmon, said Brenda Chandler, Nordic Aquafarms chief executive for United States operations in an interview with Seafood Source.