December 18, 2007
 

Australia's Clean Seas to produce bluefin tuna next month

Clean Seas Tuna has said that "there is a very good chance" it could make a breakthrough and start producing southern bluefin tuna fingerlings early in 2008, following a 'natural' spawning event after Christmas.

Research has been ongoing for years to breed bluefin in captivity, known to be notoriously difficult.

Clean Seas currently catches Bluefin Tuna and produces Kingfish fingerlings.

In late November, the company announced that production of Southern Bluefin tuna fingerlings would begin starting late January and throughout February. If the breeding efforts succeed until the third quarter of 2007-08, fund raising would begin in 2009 for commercial production in 2010. The company expects production of 10,000 tonnes a year by 2011 if the effort next year succeeds.

Meanwhile, Clean Seas has made a research commitment with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, to work towards closure of the southern bluefin tuna life cycle. The Commission has successfully bred tuna in captivity and has held yellowfin tuna broodstock for more than 10 years on the Pacific coast of Panama.

While larvae have been raised to fingerlings, the operation is not commercial. Mutual visits to facilities have been arranged to share ideas on technology.

According to the Adelaide Advertiser, US-based international food company Simplot has taken a shareholding in Clean Seas Tuna following approval by shareholders. Shareholders also approved a $33 million capital raising to enable the company to expand farmed fish production.