Bluefin spawn in captivity off Croatia

Larvae hatched from eggs, collected from Kali Tuna's holding pens from 19 to 21 July and analyzed by Genomics Laboratory Macrogen, were confirmed to be bluefin. DNA testing also determined that the fish matched their gene base, establishing that natural spawning activity had taken place within Kali's broodstock holding pens. This is the third consecutive year that natural spawning activities have taken place in Umami's Croatian facility.

Kali Tuna has made a significant investment, growing more than 1,000 young tuna into mature broodstock at its fish farms in Mexico and Croatia to help replenish the bluefin population. The goal is to release hundreds of millions of fertilized eggs and fry back into the wild annually.

"Although we still have a lot of work left to do in achieving our ultimate goal of developing economically viable processes of raising fish from the fry, these results prove that our experience, and our understanding of the species, is paying off," said Oli Valur Steindorsson, chairman and CEO of Umami. "I am now more confident than ever that we will be able to dramatically increase the world's access to this highly valued food source, without any degradation in quality, while, at the same time, decreasing the pressure on the world's wild populations."