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Futuna Blue España consolidates its amberjack production and will reach one million juveniles in 2025

El Puerto de Santa María, Spain, 17 October 2025 | The company’s ability to produce juveniles from broodstock born in captivity is enabling significant progress in the productive improvement of the specie

Desiderio Pérez, director técnico Futuna Blue EspañaDesiderio Pérez |@misPeces

Futuna Blue España’s greater amberjack hatchery is on track to achieve its target of producing one million juveniles of this specie this year, and has already set its sights on reaching 1.5 million in 2026.

As Desiderio Pérez Hilario, COO of the company, told misPeces, this milestone consolidates Futuna’s position as an international benchmark in the production of this species.

“One of the most important achievement, which also makes us unique worldwide, is having established a stable and continuous production F2 juveniles. This means not only closing the species’ life cycle, but also achieving its industrial-scale commersialisation and making proress in selective breeding programmes,” he explained.

At the same time, other companies in Italy and Greece are placing quantities of greater amberjack juveniles on the market. However, as Pérez point out, what makes Futuna’s system unique is that its broodstock are maintained under controlled light and temperature conditions, allowing continuous spawning throughout the year – “thanks to robust hatchery and breeding protocols”, he added.

Juveniles de Seriola en Futuna Blue

Since Kingfish Norway became the main stakeholder in 2023, Futuna has undergone major modernization of its facilities and a significant increase in production capacity. Part of these improvements have been carried out in collaboration with Innovaqua, a technology provider specializing in aquaculture, which has implemented advanced control, monitoring and automated feeding systems.

The company has also strengthened its commitment ot sustainability, installing photovoltaic panels and optimising biofiltration systems. These upgrades were made possible thanks to co-financed support from European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and the Regional Government of Andalusia, which jointly contributed €525,235.96 in 2024.

In parallel, the company is driving new growth projects, such as Acuicultura Cádiz EME450 SL, a grow-out farm expected to produce 450 tonnes of amberjack annually in a RAS system form next year, once construction work is completed, expected for third quarter of 2026.

Additionally, two new projects are being planned in Andalusia from new companies to establish commercial hatcheries for the species, reflecting the region’s growing ambition to become a European reference hub for seriola culture.