OPERATIONS
From just a tiny egg...
HATCHERY
The whole process beings with high quality brood stock sourced from nature (wild, non GMO strain).
Eggs are collected and placed in incubation chambers until they hatch (about 32 hours later). At this point the fish are only larvae.
For the first half of the larvae cycle, the fish are fed a rotifer diet (that we culture ourselves). As the larvae begin to develop, they are switched over to an artemia diet.
After a certain period of time, the larvae then undergo metomorphosis and become fry. During this metamorphosis, they are weaned onto dry pelleted feeds (EWOS). The young fry are still very delicate and require a great deal of care and attention in order to successfully reach adulthood.
The hatchery facility requires constant monitoring as the slightest changes in temperature, pH, or dissolved oxygen could result in mortalities if left unchecked.
Once the fish have reached the appropriate size, they are transfered to the nearby farm where they spend the remainder of their life.
Click here to learn more about our Hatchery Team.
FARM
The fish spend the remainder of their life cycle at our ASC Certified farm site - located in the remote, pristine waters of Baja California South. They are fed high quality, extruded pelleted feed until they are large enough to be harvested and sold at market.
Thanks to the low stocking density, the fish have plenty of room to move around. The strong cross sectional currents keep the fish well oxygenated. Click the video to the left to see what its like to swim with Baja Kanpachi fish.
Click here to learn more about our Farm Team
PROCESSING & DELIVERY
When the fish reach the appropriate size (1.5 to 4.0kg), they are ready to be harvested.
All of our fish are harvested using Ikejime methods that minimize pain and suffering to the animal. This makes sense not only from an ethical standpoint, but from a commercial standpoint as well (if an animal endures stress during slaughter then the quality of the meat will be negatively affected).
What is Ikejime?
Ikejime (活け締め) or Ikijime (活き締め) is a humane method of killing fish to maintain the quality of its meat. The technique originated in Japan, but is now in widespread use. It involves the insertion of a spike quickly and directly into the hindbrain, usually located slightly behind and above the eye, thereby causing immediate brain death. When spiked correctly, the fish fins flare and the fish relaxes, immediately ceasing all motion. Destroying the brain and the spinal cord of the fish will prevent reflex action from happening; such muscle movements would otherwise consume adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the muscle, and as a result produce lactic acid and ammonia, making the fish sour, soggy and less tasteful. Furthermore, the blood contained in the fish flesh retracts to the gut cavity, which produces a better coloured and flavoured fillet, and prolongs shelf life. This method is considered to be the fastest and most humane method of killing fish. Ikejime-killed fish is sought-after by restaurants as it also allows the fish to develop more umami when aged.
Ikejime has been successfully used manually in the tuna and yellowtail industries, along with limited use in sport and game fishing, as it provides a rapid slaughter technique. An alternative to cutting their throats and leaving the fish to die by bleeding, ikejime is used and the fish put straight into ice.
Once the company receives an order, our team pulls the fish from the water, processes it, packs it, and sends it on its way for delivery. Each fish receives a gill tag with harvest date and a QR code which links to important traceability information. Each box is labeled with information including product packing date, species name, net weight, number of pieces, box number, and client number.
Throughout the delivery process, the fish is kept at 1-3 degrees Celcius (33 - 35 degrees Farenheight).
Fish are then delivered to our customers around the world. Whether it's shipped by land, air, or sea - we guarantee it will arrive fresh!
Once our clients receive the fish, they can scan the QR codes on the gill tags using their smartphone camera.
Scanning the QR codes will prompt a URL to open with important information regarding the fish - including:
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Lot Number
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Cage Number
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Date Stocked
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Diet Fed
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Method of Harvest
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Nutritional Information
