GM salmon producer AquaBounty on Monday said it has received purchase orders for five metric tons of its AquAdvantage salmon.
The first harvest is scheduled to be conducted at the end of May from the company’s Indiana farm. AquaBounty will continue to ramp production to its full capacity throughout the year, it said.
“We can’t wait to share this with our customers," said Joe Lasprogata, vice president of new product development at Samuels and Son Seafood.
AquaBounty has also not yet announced additional customers beyond Samuels and Son.
“We have received very positive interest from a variety of customers representing seafood distributors, food service operators and retailers and are thrilled that the first harvest is already fully committed," said AquaBounty CEO Sylvia Wulf.
The company missed a hoped-for April launch date for US consumers to be able to purchase the controversial fish -- the first GM animal to be approved for human consumption in the country.
The company later revealed in an interview with the CBC that the buyers of 4.5 metric tons of the company's fish were using it in high-end sashimi items.
The company's quarterly report released at the time showed sales revenue of $53,000 (€44,604) during the quarter from the sale of what the company said was 5 metric tons of GM fish. Gross margin on product sales was $3,000 (€2,524), the company said.
