Betting on one of the world's most expensive fish
The Black Cod Company has stocked its first juveniles in the Netherlands. The goal is to establish Europe's first commercial production of the species in RAS.
Published
The Black Cod Company has reached an important milestone in its efforts to establish land-based black cod farming in Europe. In a post on LinkedIn, the company announced that the first fish have now arrived at the facility in Kamperland, in the Netherlands.
"The Black Cod has landed in Europe," the company writes.
Co-founder Ohad Maiman confirms to LandbasedAQ that the batch consists of 160 fry that were flown in from the United States as an initial test of the transport solution.
“This was a successful first round of testing. We achieved 100% survival during transport, and will now fly in significantly more fish in the future, as well as broodstock for the establishment of a full-cycle hatchery in the Netherlands,” says Maiman.
According to the company, this is the first time the species has been farmed in the European Union.
“As far as we know, this marks the first arrival and farming of black cod in the EU,” says Maiman.
Full-cycle production
Black cod (Anoplopoma fimbria), also known as butterfish and sablefish, is a marine fish naturally found in the North Pacific Ocean.
To obtain biological material, the company established a subsidiary in the United States. Wild broodstock was captured there about a year ago.
“Since then, we have kept the fish in the US and had them spawn there. The goal is to move the entire hatchery operation to the Netherlands and establish a full-cycle production there,” says Maiman.
The species has gained international attention through the restaurant chain Nobu, where miso-marinated black cod has been a signature dish since the 1990s.
Video: The Black Cod Company.
Experience from land-based farming
The venture is led by AquaFounders Capital. Ohad Maiman founded Netherlands-based The Kingfish Company, while Thue Holm was a co-founder of Florida land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire. Both are now co-founders and directors of The Black Cod Company.
Holm describes the launch as an important milestone.
"I can't wait to show what a fantastic fish black cod is, and how much potential it has. It's fantastic to have fish in the facility," he writes on LinkedIn.
Maiman believes the combination of biological and market conditions makes the species interesting for land-based production.
“Black cod meets what we believe is the critical trifecta for a land-based aquaculture project. The species is well suited to RAS, Europe is completely dependent on imports, and the market price is around five times higher than for salmon,” he says.
At the same time, he acknowledges that production presents challenges.
“The hatchery phase for black cod is demanding. We have spent three years developing the protocols and building our own expertise in producing the species. It is not easy, but it also raises the bar for new competitors,” says Maiman.
He also emphasises that black cod is not closely related to cod, despite its name.
Chose the Netherlands
The company announced in 2024 that it had chosen Kamperland in Zeeland as the location for the venture.
The facility is located at the outlet to the North Sea and uses RAS technology. The company originally took over an existing 1,200 square metre marine hatchery, which has now been converted into a hatchery and production facility for black cod.
"The RAS system is our own design and is largely based on the experience Thue Holm has gained through many years of RAS technology," says Maiman.
Planning further development
The Black Cod Company is currently raising capital to finance the next phase of the project.
The first phase of construction is planned to have a production capacity of 50 tonnes per year. On the same site, the company has recently received permission to build an additional 2,200 square metres of production space.
"The next important milestone is to raise capital to establish the first commercial production phase. At the same time, we have secured permits that make further growth possible," says the entrepreneur.
Once this development is completed, capacity can be increased to 400 tonnes per year.
“With this first group, we will be able to conduct sampling within the next year. The goal is to have full and stable production in the first phase within two years,” says Maiman.
