Taprobane nabs ASC certification, partners on USD 20 million shrimp farming project in Pakistan

Taprobane Frozen Foods’ Erukkalampidy shrimp farm has become Sri Lanka’s first to gain Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification.

The company hopes to have all 1,000 acres of the farm either certified to either the ASC or Best Aquaculture Practices standard by the end of 2024, according to Taprobane Seafoods CEO Tim O’Reilly. And he has set the goal of selling climate-neutral shrimp from the farm by next year.

“We are passionately committed to achieving climate neutrality through carbon-insetting via certified reforestation projects focusing on mangrove replanting and leveraging our rooftop solar system, aligning with ISO 14064-1:2018 and ISO 14067:2018 standards,” he said. “Our plan to introduce a carbon-neutral shrimp product to the global market in early 2024 underscores our unwavering dedication to a sustainable world, ensuring a lasting legacy for future generations. It's always been a plan: we get BAP and ASC, then go for carbon neutral by early 2024 (scope 3) and carbon positivity by 2025. This particular farm is hard to replicate, but it should exemplify what is possible.”

O’Reilly said help from ProClime’s Kavin Kandasamy was critical to obtaining the ASC certification, and that the development of in-house knowledge and resources at Taprobane is also allowing for the expansion of several other sustainability initiatives at the company, including the initiation of a full Marine Stewardship Council assessment for its blue swimming crab in 2024.

“This is only possible because of the in-house talent we have developed within Taprobane Seafoods. Our sustainability and CSR team has expertise that varies from aquaculture, fishery, and marine science, carbon quantification, environmental conservation, and extensive experience working with coastal fishing communities,” O’Reilly said. “For us, it is a continuation of trying to drive the demand for Sri Lankan sustainable seafood. We are the major exporter of Asia's only eco-recommended pasteurized blue swimming crab, 4-star BAP rated, and now Sri Lanka's first ASC shrimp farm. With the blue swimming crab, we are super excited to start a full MSC assessment in early January 2024, and we need to thank our strategic partner, Direct Source Seafood, for supporting us in this endeavor.”

Direct Source Seafood is a crab and shrimp importer based in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A.  It signed an agreement in June 2023 to produce, market, and sell Taprobane’s products in the United States. 

Taprobane Seafoods is the largest seafood company in Sri Lanka. It conducts vannamei and monodon shrimp farming and processing and operates a blue swimming crab fishing and processing operation. It also provides aquaculture products and services to Sri Lankan shrimp farmers through Taprobane Aqua Services. The company has benefited from an investment from the Atman Group in November 2021 and a joint venture with Seafood Group AS. 

In early October, Taprobane partnered with Urk, the Netherlands-based Sea Fresh to acquire a 72,000-square-meter vannamei shrimp farm in Karikattiya, Sri Lanka, which includes 18 recirculating aquaculture system tanks and five-lined ponds.

“This strategic move marks a significant milestone in our goal of further vertical integration within the supply chain,” Sea Fresh said in a LinkedIn post. “This collaboration is a joint venture between Taprobane Seafoods and our factory Northwest Fishery. Shortly, we will apply for ASC certification to enable us to distribute our own farmed shrimps in the European retail market. Our longstanding partnership and knowledge in the Sri Lankan fish industry, spanning 15 years, has paved the way for this expansion.”

In August, Taprobane announced a partnership with Alkaram Textile Mills, Thai Union Director Narin Niruttinanon, to invest USD 20 million (EUR 18.8 million) in a vannamei shrimp farming project in Dhabeji, Pakistan.

The project, to be developed under the umbrella of the joint venture Indian Ocean Foods, will include the development of 300 ponds as well as a hatchery, processing facility, and feed mill, O’Reilly confirmed to SeafoodSource.

Photo courtesy of Taprobane Seafoods