Kingfish Maine Celebrates Its First Harvest of Small Batch, Limited Release Dutch Yellowtail
The Dutch Yellowtail from Maine will be served at restaurants on the East and West Coasts
(April 4, 2023) Franklin, ME: Kingfish Maine is harvesting its first Dutch Yellowtail from Maine, with a limited release of the first sustainable Dutch Yellowtail to be produced in the US. As part of the Kingfish Company [Euronext: KING], Kingfish Maine is currently operating at the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) in Franklin as it prepares for construction on a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Jonesport, Maine.
“We have worked three long years to arrive at this point - harvesting our first Dutch Yellowtail from Maine and completing all our permits for our land based Jonesport facility,” said Kingfish Maine Operations Manager Megan Sorby. “This would not be possible without the collaborative work with our team at Kingfish Zeeland and our crew here at CCAR. We are excited to bring the first Dutch yellowtail from Maine to the market.”
Beginning in 2020, Kingfish Maine deployed the same advanced RAS technology at CCAR to raise fingerlings from its sister company in the Netherlands. This small batch, limited release of Dutch Yellowtail from Maine will be distributed and served at restaurants in Maine, Boston, DC and California over the next two months.
The Dutch Yellowtail harvest is a true Maine-collaborative venture. Bristol Seafood, which recently announced its B Corp. certification, is processing the limited reserve batch at its Portland facility.
“As a certified B Corp, Bristol collaborates with other companies which meet our standards of sustainability and environmental impact,” said Bristol Seafood President & CEO Peter Handy. “We are proud that the Kingfish team is entrusting us with processing and packaging its first Maine harvest of sustainably-raised Dutch yellowtail. We look forward to supporting Kingfish Maine as the company fully develops its facility in Jonesport.”
“Our first Maine harvest is a milestone for the Kingfish Company,” said Kingfish Company CEO Vincent Erenst. “Our US facility will mirror the operational excellence proven in the Netherlands. Kingfish Maine will be the largest producer of Yellowtail Kingfish in the US, providing local and sustainable Yellowtail to expanding markets.”
The Kingfish Company currently produces 1,500 tons of high quality, high value Dutch Yellowtail at its Kingfish Zeeland facility. Expansion is currently underway and capacity in the Netherlands will reach 3,500 tons in 2023. Once the Jonesport Maine facility is fully operational, Kingfish Maine is projected to produce 8,500 metric tons of yellowtail.
Find out more about the limited reserve Dutch Yellowtail from Maine at www.kingfish-maine.com/dytmaine