Nissui’s Ofunato trial supports 2030, 10,000-tonne goal.
Nissui will launch a rainbow trout pilot in Ofunato, Iwate, in partnership with the Okirai Fishery Cooperative, positioning the company to shorten the path from trials to commercial scale in eastern Japan.
Site surveys and production method studies are scheduled to begin in November 2025. The company’s stated objective is an early transition to full operations, subject to pilot performance and environmental assessments.
The Ofunato project adds to Nissui’s Iwate portfolio, following pilots started in Otsuchi in 2022 and Rikuzentakata in 2023. Together, the sites form a cluster approach on the Sanriku coast intended to spread biological and weather risk while standardising husbandry and quality control.
The species is sea-farmed rainbow trout, marketed domestically as trout salmon. Output from the pilot is expected to integrate with Nissui’s existing cold-chain and domestic distribution, targeting foodservice and retail channels.
Nissui frames the initiative within its Good Foods 2030 plan, which targets a 10,000 metric ton domestic salmonid production platform by 2030. The company says near-market production can improve supply reliability at a time when wild autumn chum runs have declined, affecting landings at Sanriku ports.
Immediate workstreams in Ofunato include environmental monitoring, mooring and cage specification, feed and growth trials, and coordination with the cooperative’s established aquaculture activities. If growth, survival and quality metrics are met, Nissui plans to migrate from pilot volumes to steady commercial harvests that contribute to the 2030 production goal.
