Ohad Maiman and Thue Holm, co-founders and Managing Partners of AquaFounders Capital.
Photo: AquaFounders Capital.
Aquafounders Capital, the development platform of land-based aquaculture entrepreneurs Ohad Maiman and Thue Holm, has announced that their latest venture, The Black Cod Company (BCC), has secured a farming site in the Netherlands.
Maiman, founder and former CEO of Zeeland-based The Kingfish Company, and Holm, co-founder of Florida land-based salmon firm Atlantic Sapphire, have confirmed their latest venture will be located in Kamperland, Zeeland.
The Black Cod Company also recently secured approval from the Dutch government to farm black cod, also known as sablefish, a premium species in global seafood markets, Maiman and Holm confirmed. The company has worked over the past year on securing the site, developing the business case and establishing the necessary in-house expertise to launch a full-cycle hatchery process.
“It is good to be back in Zeeland, and launch The Black Cod Company at an optimal site with strong support by the province and the local community, suppliers and stakeholders," said Maiman in a press release.
"We look forward to work with Seafarm's Adri and Dave Bout that have partnered with us in the new endeavour, and are confident that we can repeat the development of The Kingfish Company with a similarly solid business case,” he added.
Zeeland location of the Black Cod Company.
The company's chosen site already has permits for land-based aquaculture and includes a building that will be converted into a hatchery and production facility, while an adjacent plot provides additional space for future expansion.
The Black Cod Company will also be partnering with neighbouring aquaculture company Seafarm, which cultivates oysters, razor clams and turbot at its facilities in Kamperland.
“Having searched across the EU, we are very pleased with the chosen site- with access to high quality clean seawater, zoning and permits for land based farming, and professional and knowledgable suppliers and farming personnel in close proximity, and can now move to funding and conversion of the site to a hatchery and initial production,” said Holm.
“We are delighted to partner with The Black Cod Company. With our many years of experience in sustainable fish farming and the strong reputation of Seafarm, we believe that together we can build a successful and sustainable farming of Black Cod. We look forward to contributing to this development,” said Adri and Dave Bout of Seafarm.
Meanwhile, Zeeland’s fisheries representative, Jo-Annes de Bat, also welcomed the initiative, describing it as a natural fit for the province. “It is great that the initiators of the Black Cod Company have chosen Zeeland as their business location. Fishing and aquaculture are activities that belong to our province. After previous developments by Kingfish, this is an excellent new addition. We are happy to support that," she said.
Black cod, or Sablefish, swimming just above the sea floor.
Black Cod, made famous by the iconic "Black Cod Miso" dish by Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa, is currently predominantly wild-caught from North America, particularly in Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and farmed in small quantities in Canada.
Also sometimes referred to as sablefish, black cod is imported frozen or fresh to high-end markets in the EU, Japan, and the Gulf States, where it commands premium prices.