Sole and turbot farmer reports record year
Stolt Sea Farm, the Spanish based land turbot and sole farmer, enjoyed an excellent performance last year, with higher turnover, an increase in production and profits up nearly 20%.
The company is the aquaculture arm of the Norwegian shipping and logistics group Stolt Nielsen and specialises in two of the most popular high end white fish species. It has won a succession of awards in recent years.
Stolt Sea Farm reported operating revenues of €116m (£97m), an increase of 14% on the previous 12 months.
Both turbot and sole hit record sales, with 6,861 metric tons of turbot and 1,806 metric tons of sole sold during the year, increases of 0.7% and 4.5% respectively.
Stolt said the boost in sales helped to contain production costs for turbot and decrease costs for sole.
At the same time, sale prices for both turbot and sole improved from 2023, rising 14.3% and 8.8%, respectively. The two varieties are popular in quality restaurants. As a result, the operating profit increased by 19.8% to €26.8m (£22.5m). Excluding fair value adjustments in both years, the increase was $9.4m or 46.2%.
The company said in its annual report at the weekend that "2024 was a year of excellent production, steady demand and strong pricing, all of which contributed to a strong performance overall."
During the year, the company completed an upgrade on its sole broodstock facility in Merexo, Spain and extending its sole hatchery in Cervo, also in Spain and the world’s largest flatfish hatchery. It also started construction of a new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility for sole production at its farm in Tocha, Portugal
The report added: “The upgrades support the company’s plans to double sole production capacity in the next three years, and reach an overall annual production target of 23,000 metric tons of turbot and sole by 2035.”
Across 14 farms and two hatcheries, Stolt Sea Farm has current annual production capacity of 7,200 metric tons of turbot and 1,800 metric tons of sole.
Stolt Sea Farm President Jordi Trias said: “2024 was a year of excellent production, steady demand and strong pricing, all of which contributed to a strong performance overall. This is only possible thanks to our people, who are dedicated to delivering the quality, care and innovation behind our award-winning seafood, and I would like to thank them for their efforts.”
Stolt is a subsidiary of the Norwegian marine group Stolt-Nielsen.
You May Also Like
Sign up to our daily Newsletters
Permission Statement
Yes! I would like to be sent emails from Fish Farmer Magazine
I understand that my personal information will not be shared with any third parties, and will only be used to provide me with useful targeted articles as indicated.
I'm also aware that I can un-subscribe at any point either from each email notification or on My Account screen.
© 2025 Fish Farmer.