Atlantic Sapphire produced 1,300 tonnes of salmon in Q3
Small harvest weights increased and are expected to keep rising
Florida land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire harvested approximately 1,300 gutted weight tonnes in the third quarter of 2024, slightly more than the 1,245 gwt harvested in the preceding quarter, it said in a trading update.
Standing biomass at the end of Q3 was 2,830 tonnes live weight, 100 tonnes fewer than at the end of Q2.
Atlantic Sapphire said biological development progressed favourably with stable water quality and temperatures, low mortalities, and increased harvest weight throughout the quarter following operational measures taken to increase harvest size.
The realised average harvest weight was 1.42 kg head on gutted in July, 1.55 kg HOG in August, and 2.19 kg HOG in September.
This is still very low by industry standards, although the company said it has adapted its biomass to current feeding volumes and expects further increased average harvest weight in the current quarter.
Atlantic Sapphire has the capacity to produce 9,500 gwt of salmon annually in the first phase of its recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility at Homestead, south of Miami, but has never yet achieved that volume.
It is currently constructing its Phase 2 expansion, which will bring total annual production capacity to 25,000 tonnes. The company has a long-term targeted harvest volume of 220,000 tonnes per year.