Keahole Point Fish will assume responsibility for the reconfiguration of the offshore net pen array, and for ongoing operations of the farm site. Kona Blue will continue to provide Kona Kampachi fingerlings from the company’s hatchery, as well as biological and research support for the offshore grow-out operation. Kona Blue will also continue to provide sales and marketing support for all Kona Kampachi produced.

“Our Keahole Point Fish partners bring to this operation a wealth of experience in open ocean fish farming, commercial fishing and processing,” said Kona Blue’s President and CEO, Neil Anthony Sims. “They have the capital and the capabilities needed to implement our planned reconfiguration of the offshore site.”

Keahole Point Fish Manager Todd Madsen stated that the company plans to reconfigure the fleet of work vessels and deploy three new submersible Sea Station cages at the site over the next few months. “These changes will help reduce costs and improve the consistency of offshore operations,” said Madsen.

In 2009, the State Land Board approved the reconfiguration plans for the net pen array.

The partnership involves transfer of Kona Blue’s offshore farm lease to Keahole Point Fish, which also requires Land Board approval.

Spinning off the offshore grow-out operation is the first step in implementing Kona Blue’s plans for developing a network of third-party Kona Kampachi growers, said Sims. The company is also looking for other third-party growers to partner with in the U.S. or other areas of the Americas. Under the partnership agreement, Keahole Point Fish will adhere to Kona Blue’s rigorous standards for sustainability of feeds, operating procedures, and product quality.

The farm site is located in waters over 200 feet deep, with strong ocean currents over a sand bottom. The site was carefully selected to minimize potential for environmental impacts, and to avoid conflicts with existing uses or cultural concerns. The company undertook three years of extensive community consultations and outreach before the lease was first granted, in 2004. The farm has been in operation since 2005, and produced around 500 tons of Kona Kampachi in 2008.

Kona Kampachi (amberjack or Seriola rivoliana) is a sashimi-grade fish that has been receiving rave reviews in the press, and from the nation’s most discerning seafood chefs. Kona Kampachi is rich in heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, with no detectable mercury or contaminants. The fish are raised on a sustainable feed, and are grown from hatch-to-harvest in some of the cleanest waters on Earth.