Aquaculture Magazine reports:
Based on the exclusive distribution agreement signed in 2022 with Proximar Seafood, the also Japanese company Marubeni has officially commenced sales of Japan’s first land-farmed Atlantic salmon under the brand name Fuji Atlantic Salmon. The product is mainly distributed to fishmongers, mass merchandisers, and department stores, they informed. In the future, Marubeni will also consider exporting salmon to neighboring countries that highly value Japanese food products.
The aquaculture project, one of the largest in the oriental country with 5,300 tons per year, is also Japan’s first Atlantic salmon aquaculture project. Furthermore, is an environmentally friendly business that recirculates 99.7% of the water used through a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS).
Thanks to Marubeni, the fresh fish can be delivered to the Tokyo metropolitan area on the same day of harvesting at the earliest. Another point in favor of the project is now the domestic production uses less air transportation, which reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 57,000 tons per year compared to conventional import processes.
Sales network cultivated over many years
Proximar plans to ship approximately 4,700 tons of salmon by 2025 and 5,300 tons when fully operational in 2027. Marubeni, together with its subsidiary Marubeni Seafoods Corporation, will provide fresh and sustainable seafood products to the tables through a sales network cultivated over many years in the seafood products sales business while building the brand of Fuji Atlantic Salmon, the first farmed Atlantic salmon in Japan.
Global demand
From Marubeni highlighted that while the global demand for salmon is expected to increase due to population growth and health consciousness, the supply of wild and sea-farmed salmon is reaching a ceiling due to ecosystem conservation considerations and limited areas suitable for sea-farming.
Under these circumstances, land-based aquaculture, which is not limited by geography and has a low environmental impact in terms of water pollution and runoff of farmed fish, is expected to provide a sustainable and stable supply of seafood products. In Japan, there are similar challenges and needs, and the market for RAS Atlantic salmon is expected to continue to grow.
In the future, Marubeni will also consider exporting salmon to neighboring countries that highly value Japanese food products.

Strategic partnership between Skretting and Proximar
Meanwhile, the global company Skretting reported that they hold a strategic partnership with Proximar, and since the start of the project, Skretting‘s global team has closely collaborated with the RAS team in Skretting Japan, with their fish quality service team also joining forces to provide comprehensive quality monitoring services. The first harvest represents an operational achievement for both Skretting and Proximar.
During a recent visit to Japan, Skretting CEO Bastiaan van Tilburg told Japanese media that growth can be expected in the RAS sector, and there are plans to invest between 10.8 and 16.29 million dollars (10 and 15 million euros) in Skretting Japan‘s Imari plant, in order to strengthen the supply system for RAS feed and improve quality. The investment will also cover feed produced in Japan for the yellowtail market, which is another focus area for Skretting.
Van Tilburg also shared that Skretting Japan is working towards obtaining ASC feed standard certification, which will help position Japanese farmed fish for export. Japan is a key market for Skretting, and the company is focused on providing sustainable aquafeed to address challenges like rising raw material costs and climate change, and improve the profitability of Japan’s aquaculture industry.
“We are currently contributing 26 million meals of seafood a day, and it is essential that we have a protein supply system in place that can also cope with 2050, when the world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion,” van Tilburg said.