Busan Smart Aquaculture Cluster Becomes First in the Country to Produce and Ship Atlantic Salmon

[Financial News] Atlantic salmon raised in Busan is making its debut. Among the smart aquaculture cluster development projects underway at six sites nationwide, this is the first case in which farmed seafood has been produced and shipped.
Busan Metropolitan City Government said on the 29th that it would hold a tasting event on the afternoon of the 30th to commemorate the first shipment of Atlantic salmon at a smart aquaculture farm in Ilgwang-eup, Gijang County.
The event, hosted by fisheries corporation Eco Aquafarm, will be attended by officials from relevant organizations, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), Busan Metropolitan City Government and Busan Metropolitan Council, as well as smart aquaculture industry stakeholders. They will share the project's progress and showcase Atlantic salmon produced in Busan for the first time.
The event will feature opening remarks, a report on the project's progress, congratulatory speeches, commemorative performances such as a salmon-cutting demonstration, a tasting session and a tour of the fish farm.
The Atlantic salmon being shipped for the first time was produced at the test bed of the Busan Smart Aquaculture Cluster, which was funded jointly by the central government, the city government and private capital.
The Busan Smart Aquaculture Cluster is a facility built with a total project cost of 40 billion won within the Fisheries Science Research Institute of Pukyong National University in Ilgwang-eup, Gijang County. It was completed in 2024.
The facility uses advanced smart aquaculture technologies, including a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) that enables eco-friendly land-based aquaculture. The eyed eggs stocked in the second half of 2024 were raised there, leading to the first shipment.
The city explained that the shipment is significant because it is the first among the six smart aquaculture cluster development projects underway nationwide to progress from the actual production of farmed seafood to shipment.
The first shipment is expected to pave the way for the full-scale market launch of Busan-produced Atlantic salmon and expand the country's domestic production and supply base. Given the nation's heavy reliance on imports for Atlantic salmon consumed domestically, expanding a stable production base for locally produced Atlantic salmon is expected to help replace imported salmon and diversify the domestic seafood supply chain.
Building on this achievement, Busan Metropolitan City Government plans to promote the industrialization of smart aquaculture technology and support improvements to related systems and the development of new technologies, with the goal of developing Busan into a hub for the smart aquaculture industry.
Shim Jaemin, head of the Maritime Capital Strategy Office at Busan Metropolitan City Government, said, "Starting with this tasting event, we will officially introduce Busan-produced Atlantic salmon to the market and do our utmost to support Busan's emergence as a city leading smart aquaculture technology and industry."
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter