[Tokyo Updates] Is Hill-Farmed Salmon Here to Save Us?

Tokyo Updates affords in-depth insights into the most recent improvements, developments, and initiatives shaping Tokyo as a number one international metropolis. J-Tales brings you solutions-focused content material from Tokyo Updates, highlighting the artistic options and groundbreaking efforts rising from Tokyo.

Demand for salmon is rising worldwide, and with it, anticipation for closed recirculating land-based salmon farming, with its low environmental affect and sustainable, secure manufacturing of salmon. Right here, we spoke to Ando Yuma, supervisor of the Meals Components and Aquaculture Growth Part, at Marubeni Company, which has teamed up with a Norwegian firm to promote land-farmed salmon, in regards to the benefits and future prospects of this technique of salmon farming.

An Environmentally-Pleasant and Sustainable Salmon Farming Know-how

Marubeni has been supplying wild and farmed salmon to the Japanese market for a few years, primarily by means of its subsidiaries. Lately, Marubeni has been working to transition to a enterprise mannequin that’s environmentally-friendly and that may guarantee secure provide. In 2020, the corporate entered the enterprise of farmed Atlantic salmon produced by means of the closed recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) by means of an funding in Denmark’s Danish Salmon, one of many world’s high producers of land-farmed salmon. Marubeni additionally teamed up with Norwegian firm Proximar Seafood AS (hereinafter “Proximar”) in 2022, signing a contract that may give them unique gross sales rights to the closed RAS Atlantic salmon Proximar produces in Oyama City, Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan. These rights went into impact in 2024 and can final for 10 years, with Marubeni’s aim being to determine a “native manufacturing for native consumption” enterprise mannequin in Japan.

Environmentally-friendly and sustainable closed RAS salmon farm (Oyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture). Photo: courtesy of Marubeni Corporation — Environmentally-friendly and sustainable closed RAS salmon farm (Oyama City, Shizuoka Prefecture). Picture: courtesy of Marubeni Company

The closed RAS system utilized by Proximar is designed to be environmentally-friendly, with groundwater from the foothills of Mt. Fuji filtered and circulated inside the system. Not like sea-farming, the system is reduce off from the exterior setting, and wastewater is handled correctly, that means the opportunity of meals or feces leaking into the ocean or rivers is infinitesimally low. There may be additionally little danger of pathogens getting into the system, which principally eliminates the necessity for vaccines and antibiotics, and makes for fish-friendly aquaculture.

And on the off likelihood {that a} fish does grow to be unwell, injury shall be minimal, as every fishpond in a closed RAS is an unbiased farming setting, and the sickness is not going to have an effect on the opposite fishponds.

The time it takes to get from hatching to harvesting is about two years. The farming course of has been going effectively, and the primary batch of salmon, whose eggs had been entered into the system on the finish of October 2022, had been shipped out in Japan this October, two years into their lifecycle.

Delivering 4,700 Tons of Contemporary Land-Farmed Salmon to Shoppers by 2025

SusHi Tech Tokyo (Sustainable Excessive Metropolis Tech Tokyo) 2024 was a global occasion hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Authorities from April to Might 2024, with the aim of utilizing cutting-edge applied sciences to resolve frequent challenges in cities all over the world. Marubeni exhibited on the occasion along with Proximar, and their land-farmed salmon was used within the sushi offered within the particular sales space for Kappo Funyu, an genuine Japanese restaurant in , Sumida Metropolis, Tokyo. Ando says in regards to the motive they participated within the occasion: “Whereas it was, in fact, to boost consciousness of land-farmed salmon, it was additionally as a result of we resonated with the aim of the occasion, which was to ‘Create sustainable new values.'”

Many on the occasion had been stunned to listen to that salmons could possibly be farmed on land, and a survey of those that ate the sushi fielded many feedback like: “Tastes nice,” “Does not appear totally different from the salmon I often eat (in a great way),” and “Lighter and extra palatable than the salmon I often eat.” The survey additionally unearthed some challenges, nonetheless, in relation to spreading sustainability consciousness and values—when requested in the event that they felt it was price paying for environmentally-friendly merchandise, many respondents mentioned that they’d select environmentally-friendly merchandise in the event that they had been the identical value as common merchandise, however not in the event that they had been costlier.

Salmon sushi set sold at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024.        Photo: courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Same below) — Salmon sushi set offered at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024. Picture: courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Authorities (Identical beneath)

Marubeni is at the moment getting ready to ship recent, land-farmed salmon to the mass market utilizing the Marubeni Group’s direct gross sales channels to mass retailers and eating places, and its sturdy community of processors. The corporate plans to ship roughly 4,700 tons of the salmon by 2025, ultimately increasing this to five,300 tons.

"We're working on a sales plan so we can get our land-farmed salmon to as many people as possible," says Ando — “We’re engaged on a gross sales plan so we are able to get our land-farmed salmon to as many individuals as attainable,” says Ando

Ando says they anticipate plenty of consumption in Tokyo, Japan’s capital and most populous metropolis. “As a buying and selling firm, we do not get many alternatives to work together with shoppers immediately, so we’re wanting ahead to the Tokyo Metropolitan Authorities persevering with to create these alternatives for us to take part actively in sustainability-related occasions like SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024.”

The Key to Fostering Sustainability Consciousness is to Make It Private

Marubeni’s aim is twofold: help within the secure provide of Atlantic salmon to Japanese shoppers, and set up itself as a premium sustainable seafood model. As part of this effort, the corporate has created a brand for the model, and is working with retailers to design gross sales flooring, promotional supplies, and stickers that may correctly convey the worth of the product.

The important thing to fostering sustainability consciousness amongst shoppers is not going to solely be the environmental efficiency of the product, but additionally making it “private” for the shoppers. To this finish, Marubeni is partaking in a wide range of meals schooling efforts. The concept is that getting shoppers to comprehend from a younger age the worth of environmentally-friendly merchandise, will make it extra seemingly that they’re drawn to those kinds of merchandise as adults.

It appears, with Marubeni’s unique gross sales rights to mass-produced home Atlantic salmon, it is not going to be lengthy earlier than we discover ourselves seeing land-farmed salmon at our dinner tables frequently. The hope is that as individuals come throughout this environmentally-friendly salmon, it can encourage them to consider sustainability as one thing that is part of their very own lives.

Manager, Food Ingredients and Aquaculture Development Section, Food Ingredients Department, Marubeni Corporation. Joined the company in 2012. Worked in accounting and administration in the Food Division before transferring to the then-Fisheries Department in 2018. Was sent to work in Russia for about two years starting 2020, where he was in charge of purchasing wild salmon, trout, and other ingredients from Russia. Currently works mainly in sales and marketing for Proximar, as well as the development of aquaculture-related businesses. — Supervisor, Meals Components and Aquaculture Growth Part, Meals Components Division, Marubeni Company. Joined the corporate in 2012. Labored in accounting and administration within the Meals Division earlier than transferring to the then-Fisheries Division in 2018. Was despatched to work in Russia for about two years beginning 2020, the place he was in control of buying wild salmon, trout, and different components from Russia. At present works primarily in gross sales and advertising and marketing for Proximar, in addition to the event of aquaculture-related companies.

SusHi Tech Tokyo, quick for Sustainable Excessive Metropolis Tech Tokyo, is a Tokyo-based idea that goals to create sustainable new worth by overcoming international city challenges by means of cutting-edge expertise, numerous concepts, and digital experience.