Yadran processing plant in Quellón, Chiloé, Chile, recognized last year for its environmental management.
Photo: Pesquera Yadran.
Japanese seafood corporation Nissui announced this week its intention to acquire all shares in Chilean salmon producer Pesquera Yadran (PY). The transaction, which is expected to be completed in early January 2026, will be carried out through its consolidated subsidiary Salmones Antártica (SA), which will pay a total of USD 133 million for the shares.
In the notice on the acquisition, Nissui explained that the shares—a total of 2,524,558,988—come from three shareholders: Inversiones Yadran, which owns 93.12%; Chile Market Limitada Servicios y Asesorías Financieras, with 4.88%; and Inversiones Crucol Limitada, which owns 2.00%.
Furthermore, as a result of the transaction, PY's subsidiary Cultivos Yadran—51% owned by Pesquera Yadran, 48.87% by Empresa de Servicios Quellón, and 0.13% by Yadran Quellón—as well as five other PY subsidiaries, will become wholly owned subsidiaries of Nissui Corporation.
The company also noted that, given that Pesquera Yadran's capital amount is equivalent to at least 10% of Nissui's capital, PY is expected to be classified as a specific subsidiary of the Japanese corporation.
The acquisition is part of Nissui's long-term vision, 'GOOD FOODS 2030', which places sustainability as a key initiative for creating corporate value and, within its marine products business, aims to establish sustainable aquaculture operations.
The company intends to establish a stable business portfolio by 2030 in which the food products division and the marine products division are well balanced, with overseas marine and food products businesses, aquaculture business, and fine chemicals business serving as growth drivers.
As WeAreAquaculture pointed out at the end of October when reporting on Nissui's launch of a new pilot project for salmon trout farming in Ōfunato, Iwate Prefecture (Japan), the company recognizes the aquaculture business as a priority growth area for the company, considering it a key factor not only for the marine products division but also for improving the entire Group's profitability.
"Through this share acquisition, the company will seek to expand the scale of aquaculture operations together with SA, enhance processing and sales networks, and pursue efficiency improvements, such as optimizing the balance between fish species and farming sites," the company stated in the acquisition notice.
With over 1,000 employees, Salmones Antártica is one of the top 10 Chilean salmon suppliers by production weight. Its vertically integrated operation covers the entire production process, from breeding to processing. It has both freshwater and sea sites, including the production of its own feed to guarantee the quality of its fish.
For its part, Pesquera Yadran also operates salmon aquaculture businesses in Chile. PY has experience in the farming and processing—recognized for its environmental management—of fresh Atlantic salmon products, a species for which global demand is expanding, and maintains sales channels to international markets, including the US market.
According to the Japanese company, following the acquisition, leveraging the strength of its exclusive network, 'Nissui Global Links', various synergies will be created, and the resilience of the value chain will be enhanced.
As part of its long-term vision, the Nissui Group has been building a global supply chain for seafood and, since the 2000s, has established this 'Global Links' framework with overseas group companies and partner companies that share the same vision.
Examples of this strategy include its recent expansion in the U.S., where its subsidiary, Gorton's, Inc. has opened a new production facility; the acquisition of the Neetherlands' company Maxima Seafood to expand its European portfolio; its investments in the aquaculture business in Africa through two private equity funds; or its stake in New Zealand's Sealord, which it owns equally with the company's largest Maori-owned fishing company, Moana New Zealand.
