Israeli firm AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies has entered an agreement with a yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) producer in Chile for the construction of a new recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) facility.
The farm, to be located at Tongoy Bay in the Coquimbo region, will be run by Chilean company Atacama Yellowtail SpA (AYT).
In its first stage, the facility will produce 900 tonnes of yellowtail, with the plan to double this volume in the second stage. The initial investment in the project was US$25 million, with construction scheduled to start in the second-half of this year.
AYT’s first fish are expected to reach markets in the fourth-quarter 2024.
This will be AquaMaof’s first RAS facility delivered in Chile. Along with local partner Inno-Sea, it will be a shareholder in the project.
AquaMaof Sales Director, Roberto Tishler, said the project is “strategically important” for AquaMaof in Chile, and the company looks to working with AYT to supply upscale markets with high-quality yellowtail kingfish.
“We consider this to be the next bluefin tuna, grown in a healthy and controlled environment, without the use of antibiotics or chemicals. The result is a healthy, nutritious and fresh source of seafood, produced in a sustainable way while safeguarding fish welfare throughout their lifecycle, and optimising the human resources required to be involved in the processes,” he said.
