Special Feature 2
For more than 40 years, the Company has been engaged in the aquaculture of coho salmon, aiming for a sustainable fishery.
Drawing on the knowledge and expertise accumulated through experience with various fish species and aquaculture, we now provide support for aquaculture projects throughout Japan.
Aquaculture that embodies the Nichimo Group aim to cover “From Ocean To Dining”
In addition to purchasing and selling farmed fish, the Group also undertakes cultivation management and provision of general aquaculture supplies, making it the only company providing total support for aquaculture from upstream to downstream, and the entire Group is promoting the aquaculture business.
IssueCrisis of fishery resources
The volumes of fishing catches and consumption of marine products continue to grow in response to expanding demand for marine products. Furthermore, since many countries overexploit fishery resources and do not manage them properly, overfishing has become a global problem. Added to this, factors such as rising ocean temperatures due to global warming are also having an impact on the amount of fishery resources in nature. The Group has utilized its accumulated knowledge and expertise to address these issues by contributing to the development of sustainable aquaculture and the supply of marine products.
01 First Shipment of 'Mirai Salmon'
Initiatives of Nichimo 1Land-based aquacultured Mirai Salmon towards the first delivery
Fish Farm Mirai LLC, a joint venture of Nichimo, Kyushu Electric Power Company, Incorporated, Nishinippon Plant Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd., and Idouchi Salmon Farm K.K. completed construction of a land-based aquaculture farm on the property of Kyushu Electric’s Buzen Power Station (located in the city of Buzen, Fukuoka Prefecture) in March 2023 and sales of Mirai Salmon began in October of the same year.
Landed Mirai Salmon
Landed Mirai Salmon
The farm is the largest facility in the Kyushu region, with a production capacity of around 300 tonnes per year, and produces and provides a stable supply of highly fresh Mirai Salmon throughout the year. To maintain constant water quality, it uses advanced systems incorporating IoT and AI to create the most comfortable environment for the salmon to grow. Unlike marine aquaculture, land aquaculture is not affected by natural disasters, and at the farm bacteria are utilized to decompose the excretions of the fish. Furthermore, Nichimo’s Group-wide efforts to reduce the load on the environment include reducing environmental pollution caused by feces and reducing water pollution through the use of food supplied by Nichimo Mariculture Co., Ltd.
As a result, healthy salmon with low stress levels are raised, and their meat has a concentrated flavor and a smooth, rich taste.
Sakana & Japan Festival 2024
In August 2023, we exhibited at the Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo, an international trade fair for the seafood industry held at Tokyo Big Sight. This was held for the first time in four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, and we displayed a booth under the theme of sustainability. We attracted visitors’ attention by live-streaming at the booth, showing vigorous Mirai Salmon that is being raised in a land-based aquaculture system. We created a new company introduction video to introduce our land-based aquaculture and other sustainable initiatives through dynamic visuals.
We also operated a booth at Sakana & Japan Festival 2024 held in March 2024 at Ogimachi Park in Osaka Prefecture, where we sold rice bowls with three types of Mirai Salmon (sashimi, seared, and pickled) to enable visitors to compare them, and the sales were very strong. We will continue to actively participate in events to increase our visibility and improve our brand recognition.
In the future, we will continue to explore the possibility of producing approximately 3,000 tonnes, thereby contributing to the achievement of the SDGs, such as a stable food supply and the conservation of marine resources.
02 Sales of Aquaculture Cages Made from Recycled Fishing Nets
Initiatives of Nichimo 2Sales of fish holding pens made from recycled fishing nets
Fish holding pens made from recycled fishing nets
Nichimo Mariculture Co., Ltd., a Nichimo Group company, and Nosan Corporation jointly developed and began marketing fish holding pens made from recycled polyethylene fishing nets.
Fish holding pens made from recycled fishing nets
Kuji Amber Salmon
The use of fishing nets produced by horizontal recycling* for use in aquaculture is a new and unprecedented initiative. This product contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and the conservation of resources by blending 10% to 15% resin made by pelletization of waste fishing nets.
A total of six nets have been introduced in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, and the Onagawa area, Miyagi Prefecture. Amid record low catches of natural salmon, coho salmon from both fish holding pens grew steadily as Kuji Amber Salmon in Kuji City and Miyagi Salmon in the Onagawa area, and the first deliveries were made in late March.
In addition, starting this fiscal year, we successfully threw trout salmon fry into fish holding pens and delivered grown trout salmon to conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in Kuji City where such fish are highly popular. In the coming fiscal year, we will continue to support the increase in production by adding two more fish holding pens.
We will also contribute to regional revitalization through an integrated system within the Group, such as the value-added distribution of coho salmon and trout salmon raised in environmentally friendly fish holding pens.
- *Horizontal recycling: No changes in the use of the product before and after recycling