Blue Star Foods Corp., a Miami, Fla.-based integrated, sustainable seafood processor, has received an option from Beaufort County, S.C., to purchase land for its Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS) expansion.
Blue Star said in a company release that Atlantic Blue crab would be the main source of crabs to support the Soft Shell Crab facility operation, which is targeted for 3.5 million crabs per year and is expected to be the largest soft shell crab facility on the eastern shore of the U.S. The company also expects to include a new crab hatchery at the location, completing the vertical integration of the plant’s supply chain.
The company said it is working closely with the South Carolina Department of Commerce on the crab project in Beaufort County, reviewing the incentive proposed tax breaks, abatements and incentives for the 9.47 acres of land, which could accommodate a building up to 100,000 square feet, the release notes. The operation would create as many as 48 new jobs over the next three years, the release notes.
