February 3, 2020

Netherlands' Kingfish Zeeland taps UMaine for yellowtail broodstock project

Dutch firm Kingfish Zeeland has made a step closer to developing a $110-million land-based aquaculture facility in Jonesport, Maine, USA, after it has secured funding, Mainebiz reported. It first announced plans for the proposed project last November.

According to the report, the proposed facility is in the early design and engineering phase, but seafoodnews.com reported that the project has yet to receive the necessary regulatory approvals.

For the project, Kingfish Zeeland has partnered with the University of Maine's Centre for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR), which will provide incubation services.

"We see building an early and strong relationship with the University of Maine and the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research as an asset to Kingfish Zeeland as we scale in the US," said Kingfish Zeeland CEO Ohad Maiman.

"With this contract, UMaine will serve as an important strategic partner for our team here in Maine", he added.

The partnership will allow Kingfish Zeeland to expand its broodstock of yellowtail kingfish and build up a hatchery, as per the report. 

When the company started in 2015, it partnered with Wageningen University in the Netherlands in a broodstock-selection programme. Megan Sorby, an operations manager for Kingfish Zeeland, said that the strategic partnership was an important factor in the early success of the Netherlands operation.

"It's our goal to replicate that success with our University of Maine partners here in the US," Sorby said. "We are working with an existing broodstock of yellowtail at CCAR. This partnership will allow us to expand this broodstock and build up a hatchery as we move forward with our Maine facility."