Russian Pollock Giant Invests $68 Million in New Processing Plant

This new factory is the fourth onshore processing plant built by the company under the state-supported investment quota program. Gidrostroy reports that the new factory will have a construction area of 10,000 square meters, capable of processing 600 tons of fish daily, with a freezing capacity of 325 tons/day and a cold storage capacity of 3,000 tons.

Gidrostroy's General Director Yuri Svetlikov stated: "We have purchased the most advanced equipment for the new production line. Three packaging machines have already been tested at our existing enterprises. The new equipment and packaging technology will extend the shelf life of our finished products to two years."

In addition to fish fillet production, the new factory will also use processing waste to produce fish meal and fish oil, and plans to produce caviar from pollock, cod, herring, and pink and red trout. The factory is expected to employ approximately 250 workers.

Gidrostroy is Russia's second-largest pollock producer, behind the Russian Fishery Company. The company holds a total of around 330,000 tons of pollock fishing quotas, including 290,000 tons of pollock quotas.

The company also completed two pollock processing plants in the Kuril Islands this year, focusing on fish fillet and pollock minced meat production, with a total investment of 3.2 billion rubles (approximately $40 million). Additionally, Gidrostroy established a distant-water processing plant on Shikotan Island in the Kuril chain in 2020, becoming the first Russian factory with a daily processing capacity of 100 tons of fish mince.

The construction of this new factory in Ozersoye village on Sakhalin Island's southern coast marks Gidrostroy's continued expansion of processing capabilities, further consolidating its position in the global pollock production market.

Through continuous investment, Gidrostroy is driving Russia to become a significant player in the global pollock industry. The new factory's construction will not only increase processing volume but also produce more value-added products, further enhancing the company's competitiveness in the international market.