About Clean Seas Seafood

When was the company started: Clean Seas was established in 2000 to propagate and grow Southern Bluefin Tuna, however, the company refocused its efforts on the sustainable production of Hiramasa Yellowtail Kingfish which thrive in the cold waters of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf where they are regionally indigenous. Clean Seas was publicly listed in 2005 and today, it’s seafood is the global leader in full cycle breeding, production and sale of Yellowtail Kingfish. Clean Seas is renowned world-wide for its exceptionally high quality fish and innovation in Yellowtail Kingfish farming, becoming the largest aquaculture producer of Yellowtail Kingfish outside Japan. 

What species is farmed: Clean Seas farm Hiramasa Yellowtail Kingfish (the scientific name for which is Seriola lalandi) branded as Spencer Gulf Hiramasa Kingfish.

Where is the fish sourced: Spencer Gulf Hiramasa Kingfish are spawned naturally from Clean Seas selectively bred brood stock, commencing life as eggs at the company’s hatchery located at Arno Bay just north of Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

Where is the farm: Clean Seas farms are located in South Australia’s Spencer Gulf Spencer Gulf where the fish are reared in crystal clear cold ocean waters until they are approximately 24 months old or 4 to 5 kilograms in size before they are humanely harvested and shipped across the globe.

Where is the fish distributed: Spencer Gulf Hiramasa Kingfish can be found on menus in many of the world’s finest restaurants in cities such Melbourne, Sydney, Milan, NYC, London, Vienna, Barcelona, Hamburg, Lisbon, Oslo, Zurich, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Geneva, and many more.

Facts and figures: Clean Seas produce approximately 1 million fish per annum equating to annual production of 3500 tonnes.

Why eat farmed fish: Globally, wild fish catch (including Yellowtail Kingfish) is capped by quotas. Aquaculture is the only sustainable way to meet increasing global demand for fish and other seafood and reduce the need for wild-caught fish. Moreover, farmed finfish convert feed into body mass seven times more efficiently than cattle and sheep, while producing less than one tenth the CO² per kilogram. Clean Seas’ Spencer Gulf Hiramasa Kingfish are also more efficient at converting feed to body mass than wild caught Yellowtail Kingfish and sell at a substantial premium.

When did Clean Seas become ASC certified: Clean Seas achieved ASC Certification in June 2019.

Why ASC certification: Collectively, the requirements in the ASC standard seek to minimize or eliminate the key negative environmental and social impacts of aquaculture, while permitting the industry to remain economically viable.