Sea Eight is preparing for a substantial increase in scale in its production of sole using recirculating aquaculture system, RAS. The company ended 2025 with 1,150 tonnes of installed annual capacity and expects to reach 1,600 tonnes in 2026 following the start-up of its new Gijón facility, which made its first sales in March.
At the same time, it is continuing to expand Cambados and is progressing with two new projects in Asturias and the Basque Country designed to exceed a combined 7,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
| Stage | Capacity / target | Main development |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2023 | 700 t/year | Installed capacity maintained since 2019 |
| 2024–2025 | 1,150 t/year | Addition of new facilities |
| 2026 | 1,600 t/year | Gijón facility enters operation |
| 2026–2027 | Cambados expansion | Target to double capacity at the Galician facility |
| Next phase | >7,000 t/year | Two new projects in Asturias and the Basque Country |
Behind this expansion is the aim of turning more than a decade of accumulated know-how into a replicable industrial model. Atitlan says Sea Eight’s proprietary technology allows it to standardise production processes and transfer them to new facilities, using RAS to control the main farming variables.
The hatchery expansion, the Asturias facility and the growth of the Galician operation are presented by the group as evidence of that scalability.
Aquaculture still represents a relatively small part of Atitlan, although the group considers it one of its four strategic platforms. As of December 2025, aquaculture activities accounted 7% of the group’s total valuation, while Sea Eigth was already moving into the second phase of its strategic plan, which includes the new developments in Asturias and the Basque Country.
The expansion is also taking place in a market where Atitlan sees a structural opportunity. According to the data series included in its annual report, wild sole catches fell from approximately 37,000 tonnes in 2013 to 19,400 tonnes in 2023, while aquaculture production increased over the same period from 600 to 2,200 tonnes.
For Sea Eight, this decline in supply from fisheries, combined with the ability to replicate its RAS technology, provide the basis for the next phase of growth in its sole production.
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