Smolt Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture; Representative Director and CEO: Ken Ueno) announces that Nagato Suisan Co., Ltd. (Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture; Shigeyuki Ando) has completed a trial farming of Smolt's heat-resistant salmon (sakuramasu) developed through in-house research and development. The trial began on December 24, 2025, and concluded with the final harvest on June 8, 2026. Based on the results, both companies plan to continue their collaboration next year to improve productivity and product quality. Overview of the Initiative Start of Rearing December 24, 2025 Trial Completion Date (Final Harvest) June 8, 2026 Number of Fish Tested Approximately 2,000 fish Farming Method Sea cage farming and land-based flow-through seawater systems Farming Location Nagato Suisan Co., Ltd. (Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture) aquaculture site Background of the Initiative In recent years, rising sea temperatures due to global warming have made salmon aquaculture in Japan increasingly challenging. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Japan Meteorological Agency, sea surface temperatures in Japanese coastal waters have risen by approximately 1°C over the past 100 years. In particular, higher summer water temperatures have increased the risk of mortality in salmon species. Under these conditions, since its founding in 2019, Smolt has established a heat-resistant sakuramasu strain capable of growing in water temperatures around 20°C through more than six generations of selective breeding. The company has accumulated demonstration results in Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. Nagato Suisan is an aquaculture company based in Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, specializing in species such as tiger pufferfish, and is committed to revitalizing local fisheries and producing high-quality seafood. While exploring the introduction of new fish species during the winter and spring seasons, the company initiated a bu