Pine Island Redfish announced today the appointment of Ohad Maiman as Chairman of the Board. Founder and former CEO of The Kingfish Company and current co-founder and Managing Partner of AquaFounders Capital, he is also Chairman of the Board at Israel's Biofishency Ltd. and Board Member at ReelData AI.
Completely committed to being an integral driver of success in the land-based aquaculture sector, Maiman focuses on opportunities that match local production of unique species with the advanced technology of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS).
As he told in a recent interview with WeAreAquaculture about the funding strategy and development focus of AquaFounders Capital, the company he co-founded with Thue Holm, the new species that make sense to him are those that have limited availability in the area where they are grown, high-value, and suit well to RAS farming.
Three characteristics that, as Maiman himself explained, are present in this project. "Pine Island Redfish meets the critical trifecta for a strong business case in land-based farming: a high-value species, with limited local availability, and proven to be viable for RAS farming," he said.
Red drum is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to northern Mexico. Federally protected from commercial harvest since the 1980s, the current presence of red drum in the U.S. market comes largely from imported farmed products.
Megan Sorby, CEO of Pine Island Redfish is of the same opinion as Ohad Maiman. "We have the key pieces in place to be successful: a high-value species limited in domestic supply, a fully permitted site with ongoing facility design, and an experienced operations and advisory group ready to execute," she claimed.
Regarding the new Chairman, Pine Island Redfish's CEO added: "As Chair of our Board, Ohad will contribute his vast industry knowledge and experience through the upcoming growth phases of our company." This is not the first time the two have worked together; Megan Sorby was Kingfish Maine’s Operations Manager during Maiman's tenure as CEO of The Kingfish Company.
"Working with the Kingfish Maine team was a valuable experience, and part of that was the opportunity to collaborate with, learn from, and work together with Ohad," she now recalled. "His experience and unique perspective on the sector are a perfect match with the development and sustainable mission of Pine Island Redfish."
"Having worked closely with Megan Sorby for over three years as she developed Kingfish Maine, I am confident of her exceptional managerial and problem-solving skills, and her ability to build Pine Island Redfish into a successful land-based farming company," added the new Chairman of the Board, Ohad Maiman.
Pine Island Redfish will be located on its island namesake in southwest Florida, situated on 150 acres. The RAS project is fully permitted by all relevant local, state, and federal agencies.
