From left to right, Jaime León Santamaria, CEO of the Sea Eight Group, and David González, president of the SRP.
Photo: Government of Asturias' Regional Promotion Society (SRP).
In May 2023, Sea Eight, a leading company in sustainable premium sole farming, started the construction of its new plant in Asturias, Spain. Now, with the first phase nearing completion, we have learned the group will obtain public funds to continue advancing in the successive phases of the project located on land, in the port of El Musel, in the coastal city of Gijón, on the shore of the Cantabrian Sea.
"We would like to thank the administrations and other stakeholders for their support of our innovative project, and we are sure we will continue to count on their support for successive phases, making our new site in Asturias a world reference for sustainable aquaculture production on land," said Jaime León, CEO of Sea Eight, on the occasion of the groundbreaking event.
That desire has now materialized with the announcement of funding by the Regional Promotion Society (SRP). This public company of the Government of Asturias - whose objective is to promote the economic and business development of this region of northern Spain by financing strategic, innovative and sustainable projects -, will fund the company Aquacria Lafigal, S.L. - belonging to Sea Eight Aquaculture Group - with EUR 2.1 million to support the construction of its innovative sole fish farm plant in the port of El Musel, which will use RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) technology.
Implemented under an administrative concession in this settlement in Gijón with an excellent logistic location and a long fishing tradition, the first module of the plant, scheduled for completion in January 2025, will have the capacity to produce up to 450 tons of sole (Solea Senegalensis) per year.
The company, which will invest EUR 13.3 million in this first phase of the project, which will generate 24 jobs in two years, plans to reach a total investment of EUR 120 million and create 230 jobs in six years, when the land-based fish farm is fully operational.
In successive phases, Sea Eight plans to develop the integral process of five additional fattening modules and a breeding unit, which will result in a total production capacity of 4,000 tons per year. Dedicated exclusively to the breeding and fattening of sole, this is the fourth of the group's sole farms, which has three more, two in Portugal and one in Spain, specifically in Galicia.
World leader in the farming, fattening, and marketing of sole, its client portfolio includes large Spanish companies such as Mercadona, Alimerka, and Makro. It also has a strong presence in traditional distribution through wholesalers in Spain - MercaMadrid and MercaBarna -, and in Portugal - MARL (Lisbon) -, has expanded its market throughout Europe, and is consolidating its brand in the premium segment in North America.
El Musel aquaculture complex is going to be a first state-of-the-art production module based, as mentioned, on RAS technology, in this case, entirely developed by the Sea Eight team to guarantee product quality and animal welfare while minimizing environmental impact.
Precisely the sustainability of this aquaculture model, with fish grown entirely on land, eliminating any interference with the marine environment, and, therefore, with the minimum environmental impact, are the points highlighted by the SRP when explaining the reason for this investment.
"The SRP's funding highlights its strategic commitment to sustainable and innovative projects that contribute to Asturia's productive fabric, especially in sectors such as aquaculture, with a high potential for growth and employment generation," said the Government of Asturias' Regional Promotion Society in its release.
"This initiative also reflects the commitment of the Principality of Asturias to the development of industries that promote the blue economy, based on the sustainability of marine resources," it added.