Oceanpick’s First Batch of Fledgling Fish for Aquaculture Brings New Hope for Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Sector
Oceanpick (Pvt) Ltd proudly unveiled ‘Round Island’, its oceanic fish farming brand in Sri Lanka on 25th April 2016 at Eagles’ Golf Links, China Bay, Trincomalee, marking the island’s bold entry into aquaculture farming in the open seas. Launched in 2012, in partnership with Kames Fish Farming of Scotland, Oceanpick stocked the sea cages with barramundi juveniles in 2014. The initial batch was introduced into a pen, kicking off Sri Lanka’s accessibility to premium quality, responsibly-farmed marine fish, with the first harvest scheduled for 2016. Locating the pens in pristine seas with good tidal currents and flushing rates has helped ensure a supreme product range. The event was also graced by Hon. Daya Gamage – Minister of Primary Industries and Hon. Kabir Hashim – Minister of Public Enterprise Development. Irfan Thassim, Founder/Director of Oceanpick delivered a riveting presentation to the distinguished gathering.
A media tour was facilitated for local media to experience the facilities at Oceanpick’s offshore sites which features a barramundi farm off the coast of Trincomalee. Oceanpick is poised to raise the profile of Sri Lanka’s fishery sector and aims to add momentum to the production targets set by the Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Ministry.
Founder/Director of Oceanpick, Irfan Thassim, commented, “Oceanpick has created history by launching the sea cages into the ocean. Oceanpick is Sri Lanka’s and South Asia’s first ever commercial scale oceanic farm for finfish. Our objective with this venture is not merely to make supreme quality seafood available to consumers, but also to raise Sri Lanka’s fishery industry to new heights of sustainability by reducing reliance on dwindling natural marine resources. We focus on responsible farming that is highly sustainable, to produce high quality seafood without compromising on taste”
The first phase of the venture was completed with a US$4.5 million investment with a 400 MT production capacity. Oceanpick’s first choice species is Barramundi or Asian Sea Bass, locally referred to as Modha. Of the many farms around the world, only handful farm Barramundi in open pristine seas and Oceanpick now proudly takes Sri Lanka into this elite league of premium Barramundi. Oceanpick anticipates double the capacity in to 1,000 MT during this year and widening its portfolio to several other species in the future. Another focus area will be the cold chain and distribution front, where fish harvest will occur primarily when ready for consumption and peak freshness will be maintained until it reaches the consumer.
Oceanpick’s General Manager – Operations, Mr. Fazli Nayeem, added, “Sri Lanka has abundant potential to be a major player in global seafood production with the launch of this ocean fish farming – and Oceanpick’s cage system is Sri Lanka’s first such facility. Sri Lanka’s attempts at aquaculture hitherto have been primarily concentrated in brackish water lagoons, fresh water bodies or inland based ponds. Our venture in ocean fish farming is a revolution in Sri Lanka’s fishery industry.”
Oceanpick was set up four years ago to produce a sustainable, yet delicious marine fish. It is the first to achieve this in the seas of South Asia. Many leading hotel and restaurant brands that value sustainability and premium ingredients have already adopted Oceanpick’s product into their menus and the footprint continues to grow as Oceanpick continues to set the benchmark for hygiene, freshness, sustainability and supremacy of taste. The company also delivers product to the Colombo, South and Central hills and to a host of customers overseas. Oceanpick adheres to Scottish standards as per its joint venture partner, Kames Fish Farming who has been in this industry for more than 40 years in Scotland.
