Marubeni and Nippon Suisan investing in Danish Recirculating Aquaculture Systems
Background
Due to the increasing population, the world is facing a growing demand for fish, and salmon in particular. Since the amount of wild salmon has been stable for years, the demand for more salmon must be satisfied through fish farming. Farming fish on land in tanks in a controlled environment through the use of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) is the future solution to meeting this demand sustainably by minimizing the environmental impact of fish farming.Info What is Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS)?
RAS provides for fish farming to take place on land under controlled environmental conditions to maximize production efficiency. It is a fully sustainable method of farming fish as RAS is characterized by:
- Minimum use of water - up to 99% of the water used in the tanks is recycled in the system.
- No output to the sea of antibiotics or other medications.
- No output to the sea of solids from the fish – in fact generated waste can be disposed of as fertilizers or to create renewable energy in the form of biogas.
- Optimal conditions for the fish – no contact with sea lice or exposure to wild fish diseases and optimal feeding conditions.
"Blue is the new green"
The combination of extensive knowledge of fish and fishery on the one hand and energy and energy optimisation on the other has made Denmark a leading nation within RAS. Denmark features a thriving ecosystem of highly specialised companies and world-leading research and educational institutions working closely together on developing the most advanced technologies for future sustainable inland fish farming.
"Danish Salmon is the top-ranked company in the salmon RAS business, and one of the few companies with an already established RAS salmon farming method. Marubeni, along with Nippon Suisan have jointly acquired part of Danish Salmon’s shares in order to grow our business in Europe, and for the purpose of expanding our RAS operation to countries outside of Europe as well."
Results
For RAS farming to be profitable, large scale is a must – and with this investment, Danish Salmon can reach a production capacity that is profitable and thus contribute to a sustainable supply of salmon to the growing population. “We’ll start building a new facility soon” says Marubeni General Manager for Seafood Kazz Nakamura, “which makes production capacity more than double”. Danish Salmon currently produces 1,200 metric tons which will increase to approximately 2,700 metric tons over the coming years.For Marubeni and Nippon Suisan, the investment is not only made to grow their business in Europe but also to pave the way for further RAS farming closer to the consumers. According to Nakamura, it is too early to say exactly where new farms will be established, but current candidates are the US, the Middle East and certain Asian countries. It is Marubeni’s first venture into salmon farming and sustainable production methods are a must as according to Nakamura “Consumers in Europe are most conscious of sustainability and environment-friendly seafood”.
info About Marubeni
Marubeni is one of the major trading conglomerate in Japan. Marubeni is involved in the handling of products and provision of services in a broad range of sectors. These areas encompass importing and exporting, as well as transactions in the Japanese market, related to food materials, food products, textiles, materials, pulp and paper, chemicals, energy, metals and mineral resources, transportation machinery, and includes offshore trading.The Company's activities also extend to power projects and infrastructure, plants and industrial machinery, finance, logistics and information industry, and real estate development and construction.
Additionally, Marubeni conducts business investment, development and management on a global level.
Info About Nippon Suisan
Nippon Suisan Kaisha (Nissui) is one of the major seafood companies in Japan that engages in the marine resources business.
Nissui’s operating segments are Marine Products, Food Products, Fine Chemicals, Logistics, and Others. The Marine Products segment involves in the fishing, cultivation, purchase, processing and sales of seafood products. The Food Products segment covers the production and sale of frozen food, shelf-stable food, and other processed food. The Fine Chemicals segment manages the production and sale of inspection reagents, and general medicines. The Logistics segment provides cold storage, freezing and transportation services. The Others segment includes repair and engineering services for ships and vessels.
NORDIC SEAFOOD (Denmark) is one of the Nissui’s subsidiaries in Europe. The “Global Links” which Nissui has created by expanding their business base throughout the world bring marine resources to the tables of consumers around the world.
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