New hub and processing plant position ocean-farmed barramundi as a scalable alternative to cod and other wild whitefish
NHA TRANG, VN / ACCESS Newswire / October 22, 2026 / Australis Aquaculture, producer of The Better Fish ocean-farmed barramundi, today announced that Vietnamese provincial authorities have granted the company 16 sea leases for a new ocean farming hub in An Giang Province in southern Vietnam. The sites are permitted to produce up to 30,000 metric tons a year, more than doubling Australis' total permitted capacity. Stocking of the hub's first farm is underway, with the first harvest from the new sites expected in mid-2027. Australis also announced that Blue Loop, its new fully integrated processing facility in Khanh Hoa Province, is in commercial operation with an initial capacity of 12,000 metric tons a year, giving the company greater control over quality and specifications across its product line.
Barramundi's emergence as a key whitefish alternative
Australis' announcement follows the 33rd Groundfish Forum in Nice, France, where delegates were shown global wild whitefish landings forecast at 6.6 million metric tons in 2027, essentially flat on 2026, as gains in Atlantic cod, haddock and hoki only offset a 90,000-metric-ton drop in Alaska pollock. An IntraFish report this month identified barramundi as a leading candidate to fill the whitefish gap left by years of falling cod supplies, citing Rabobank senior analyst Gorjan Nikolik.
According to FAO, global barramundi supply now exceeds 200,000 metric tons, and production has expanded substantially over the past two decades. Most barramundi is consumed locally and only limited quantities are available in export markets. In North America, it has been one of the fastest-growing seafood species in recent years, with growth of nearly 300% over the past three years alone. Although relatively new to European retailers, barramundi is quickly gaining traction as buyers look for sustainable, reliable and commercially viable whitefish alternatives.
Australis believes barramundi is best positioned to follow salmon's path to global consumer acceptance: scaled marine farming that delivers consistent size and year-round supply. Australis
has been at the forefront of global barramundi production and market development since its founding in 2004. The company's tropical marine aquaculture model draws on proven salmon-farming technologies and know-how and avoids many of the higher costs and risks of land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) or open-ocean systems. Barramundi grown in the ocean can reach harvest weights of 3-4 kg in 18 months, delivering the size, eating quality and processing flexibility that whitefish markets demand, with year-round supply.
"The recent Groundfish Forum numbers tell the story: wild whitefish supply has stopped growing, but buyers' need for it hasn't," said Josh Goldman, founder and CEO of Australis. "We have been operating in Vietnam for nearly 20 years and have steadily built a fully integrated production system. The tropics let us farm at scale with an extremely heat-tolerant species at a time when ocean warming is adversely affecting many wild and farmed products. The new farm sites in An Giang and Blue Loop are how we scale supply so that buyers can plan around a whitefish source that isn't at the mercy of quotas."
An Giang: more than doubling Australis' permitted capacity
The new hub covers 16 ocean farming sites that have been secured through 30-year leases issued by the An Giang Provincial People's Committee. Supporting infrastructure includes a World Bank-funded fisheries and aquaculture improvement project on a neighboring island and expanding port and support facilities on the mainland. Stocking of the first farm is underway and will be completed by year-end, with fish stocked earlier this year targeted for initial harvests beginning in mid-2027.
Australis will continue to process at multiple facilities and has secured an option on an additional processing facility in An Giang, providing further capacity as the hub ramps up.
Blue Loop: built for portion-spec barramundi
Blue Loop, which Australis believes is Vietnam's most advanced seafood processing facility, began operating in September 2026. Located a 20-minute drive south of the company's Van Phong Bay shore base, the plant links the company's ocean farms directly to processing.
The Blue Loop facility is designed around automation, quality and precision, offering:
- Continuous, real-time yield monitoring across processing lines
- Intelligent portioning to cut exact-weight portions to customer specifications
- Nitrogen tunnel freezing to lock in texture and quality
- Value-added lines for breaded, coated and tray-packing
- Circular design, converting trimmings and byproducts into pet products and producing fish hydrolysate for aquaculture feed, which gives the facility its Blue Loop name.
"Custom processing immediately after harvest allows Australis to deliver the highest-quality barramundi in both raw and value-added formats to meet the demands of today's consumers," said Jason Paine, President of Australis.
About Australis Aquaculture
Australis Aquaculture is a leading producer of ocean-farmed barramundi and a pioneer of Climate-Smart Ocean Farming practices in the marine tropics. Its integrated operations in Vietnam reflect long-term investment in hatchery, ocean farming and processing. Australis offers a full line of barramundi products under The Better Fish and Clean Harvest brands. Australis' ocean-farmed barramundi carries BAP 4-Star, ASC and FairTrade certifications. Learn more at thebetterfish.com.
Media contact: Jason Paine; jpaine@australis.us
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SOURCE: Australis Aquaculture, LLC
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/australis-aquaculture-secures-sea-leases-for-30-000-metric-ton-barramund-1240011
