Blue Ocean Mariculture
Blue Ocean Mariculture operates the only commercial open-ocean finfish farm in the United States, raising premium Hawaiian Kanpachi in submersible sea pens off Kona, Hawaii. It sells whole fish, fillets, and by-products to fine-dining restaurants, foodservice operators, and Hawaii retailers through distributor networks and a 16-chef ambassador program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersKailua Kona, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Blue Ocean Mariculture does
Blue Ocean Mariculture is the first and only commercial open-ocean finfish farm in the United States, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The company produces Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana, also known as almaco jack) in deep water submersible sea pens located a half mile offshore of Keahole Point, under a 90-acre lease from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. Production is vertically integrated from an onshore hatchery at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), through nursery ocean net pens, into submerged grow-out pens, with fish harvested at approximately 2.6 kilograms after roughly 12 months on a twice-weekly cycle that supports year-round supply. Broodstock spawn naturally without chemical intervention, yielding approximately 400 million eggs collected annually.
The company sells whole fish, fillets, and by-product cuts (heads, bones, collars) primarily to fine-dining restaurants, sushi/ Japanese itamae establishments, hotels, and broader foodservice operations through a national/regional/local distributor network with dedicated sales support, plus direct ordering channels. A 16-chef Culinary Ambassador Program — including James Beard Award winners such as Alan Wong, Gabriel Rucker, Robynne Maii, and Peter Merriman — drives premium menu adoption and content marketing. Locally, products are distributed through KTA Super Stores (four Hawaii locations) and Kona Seafood Market. Blue Ocean is the first finfish facility in the United States to earn Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification, and the company operates as a portfolio company of Cuna del Mar, an investment vehicle backing sustainable open-ocean aquaculture.
Revenue is generated through one-time transactional sales of premium seafood product; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The operation runs on approximately 36 employees sourced from Hawaii and the continental US, with no disclosed funding rounds, revenue figures, or public listing. The company pursues an enterprise field sales GTM motion complemented by community-led chef advocacy, channel-partner retail distribution, and earned media positioning (Food & Wine, National Geographic, US Weekly, 2025 Emmy Awards menu feature). The parent relationship with Cuna del Mar provides strategic capital alignment with global warm-water aquaculture innovation.
Blue Ocean Mariculture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Ocean Mariculture
- Legal name
- Blue Ocean Mariculture
- Website
- https://bofish.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blue Ocean Mariculture operates the only commercial open-ocean finfish farm in the United States, raising premium Hawaiian Kanpachi in submersible sea pens off Kona, Hawaii. It sells whole fish, fillets, and by-products to fine-dining restaurants, foodservice operators, and Hawaii retailers through distributor networks and a 16-chef ambassador program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Ocean Mariculture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Aquaculture / Premium Seafood
- NAICS
- Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511), Aquaculture (11251)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture (AFAEAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Aquaculture Processing & On-Farm Value-Add (primary handling, icing, packing) (AFAEAAAN)
Keywords
Where Blue Ocean Mariculture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kailua Kona
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Blue Ocean Mariculture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Premium Seafood Product Sales: Blue Ocean Mariculture generates revenue through the sale of premium Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana) to restaurants, foodservice operations, and specialty retailers. The company harvests twice weekly providing reliable supply to customers year-round. Products include various cuts and whole fish.
- Retail Sales: Products sold through local retail partners including KTA Super Stores and Kona Seafood Market for community access to Hawaiian Kanpachi.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Blue Ocean Mariculture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Ocean Mariculture raises and sells Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana), a premium white fish, in open-ocean submersible sea pens off Keahole Point in Kona, Hawaii. Operations run from an onshore hatchery at NELHA through nursery and grow-out stages to twice-weekly harvests, producing whole fish, fillets, and other cuts sold primarily to fine dining restaurants and foodservice operators nationwide, with limited retail availability in Hawaii.
Product overview
Blue Ocean Mariculture is the first and only commercial open-ocean finfish farm in the United States, operating off Keahole Point in Kona, Hawaii. The company produces premium Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana) sustainably raised in submersible sea pens, with an annual production cycle yielding fish at approximately 2.6 kilograms. Their product portfolio centers on whole fish and value-added cuts (fillets, loins, collars) sold to restaurants and food service operations, supported by ASC certification. The company also offers culinary ambassador partnerships and recipe development to promote their products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Culinary Ambassador Program: A program featuring 16 renowned chefs who create recipes and advocate for Hawaiian Kanpachi, including Chef Alan Wong, Chef Peter Merriman, Chef Gregory Gourdet, and others.
Products and services
- Hawaiian Kanpachi (Whole Fish) Fresh whole Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana), sustainably raised in submersible open-ocean sea pens off Keahole Point in Kona, Hawaii. Each fish is harvested at approximately 2.6 kilograms and sold primarily to restaurants and foodservice operators as a sashimi-grade premium white fish.
- Hawaiian Kanpachi Fillets Premium Hawaiian Kanpachi fillets harvested twice weekly, available as skin-on or skinless boneless cuts for sashimi, grilling, and other culinary applications. Sold to fine dining and foodservice customers.
- Hawaiian Kanpachi Heads and Bones Fish heads and bones sold to chefs for stock and broth preparation, supporting zero-waste use of the harvest.
- Hawaiian Kanpachi Collars (Kama) Fish collars and collar portions of Hawaiian Kanpachi used in preparations such as Crispy Kama, supplied to restaurant customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- First finfish operation in the US to achieve ASC certification
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Blue Ocean Mariculture
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blue Ocean Mariculture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Blue Ocean Mariculture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)coreASC provides third-party certification of Blue Ocean's sustainability practices. ASC has full access to company data ensuring comprehensive environmental monitoring including social needs, human resource needs, and monitoring of potential environmental impacts.
- Natural Energy Laboratory – Hawaii Authority (NELHA)coreNELHA serves as a water-supply technology park and incubator for companies growing aquaculture businesses in Hawaii. Blue Ocean's onshore hatchery is located at NELHA.
- University of MiamiminorBlue Ocean collaborates closely with University of Miami on analyzing the nutrition of their fish.
- Stronger America Through SeafoodminorBlue Ocean participates as a member of this US organization that builds increasing support for expanding opportunities for American aquaculture.
- Kona-Kohala Chamber of CommerceminorBlue Ocean maintains an active relationship with the local Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce for community engagement.
- University of Hawaii at HilominorBlue Ocean is developing a training and internship program with University of Hawaii at Hilo.
- Northwest Aquaculture AllianceminorBlue Ocean is an active partner with the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance, an organization supporting aquaculture development in the Pacific Northwest region.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Blue Ocean Mariculture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Open Blue: Panama-headquartered offshore cobia producer using open-ocean submersible net pen technology comparable to Blue Ocean's deep water submersible sea pens, supplying premium finfish to North American retail and foodservice.
- The Kingfish Company: Netherlands- and US-based producer of Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi), a closely related Seriola species, supplying premium white-flesh fish to European and North American foodservice — directly analogous business model and target customer.
- Ocean Era (formerly Kampachi Farms): Operates offshore finfish mariculture in Hawaiian waters, historically focused on Seriola — same species family as Blue Ocean's Hawaiian Kanpachi — and similarly pursuing open-ocean aquaculture as a category.
Broad incumbents
- Mowi: World's largest salmon producer, operating marine net-pen aquaculture globally; competes for premium seafood distribution, restaurants, and retail channels with a far broader species and product portfolio than Blue Ocean.
- Cermaq: Global salmon and trout aquaculture incumbent (owned by Mitsubishi) operating net-pen marine farms across Norway, Chile, and Canada; competes for limited aquaculture capacity and premium seafood buyers.
- SalMar: Major Norwegian salmon producer with significant ocean and emerging land-based operations; serves as a comparable global marine-aquaculture benchmark against which to size Blue Ocean's premium positioning.
Emerging players
- Atlantic Sapphire: US- and Denmark-listed land-based salmon company pursuing large-scale RAS production of premium salmon in North America — competing for the same sustainably-certified, US-domestic premium seafood narrative from a different technology angle.
- AquaBounty: US-listed aquaculture company producing genetically engineered Atlantic salmon in land-based RAS facilities; competes in the US-domestic premium salmon narrative and the regulatory frontier of aquaculture innovation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blue Ocean Mariculture social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Ocean Mariculture compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Blue Ocean Mariculture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Ocean Mariculture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Blue Ocean Mariculture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Ocean Mariculture M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Ocean Mariculture
What does Blue Ocean Mariculture do?
Blue Ocean Mariculture raises and sells Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana), a premium white fish, in open-ocean submersible sea pens off Keahole Point in Kona, Hawaii. Operations run from an onshore hatchery at NELHA through nursery and grow-out stages to twice-weekly harvests, producing whole fish, fillets, and other cuts sold primarily to fine dining restaurants and foodservice operators nationwide, with limited retail availability in Hawaii.
Is Blue Ocean Mariculture a public or private company?
Blue Ocean Mariculture is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Blue Ocean Mariculture founded?
Blue Ocean Mariculture was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blue Ocean Mariculture based?
Blue Ocean Mariculture is headquartered in Kailua Kona, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blue Ocean Mariculture make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Premium Seafood Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Sales.
Who are Blue Ocean Mariculture's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Open Blue, The Kingfish Company and Ocean Era (formerly Kampachi Farms). Broad incumbents are Mowi, Cermaq and SalMar. Emerging players are Atlantic Sapphire and AquaBounty.
Does Blue Ocean Mariculture have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Ocean Mariculture.
What industry is Blue Ocean Mariculture in?
Blue Ocean Mariculture's product category is Sustainable Aquaculture / Premium Seafood. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAH, Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture, with a secondary code of AFAEAAAN, Aquaculture Processing & On-Farm Value-Add (primary handling, icing, packing). Its NAICS code is 112511 and its SIC code is 200.