Wild cod, the fish that fed empires, built fishing industries, and became the default white fish in fish and chips shops, restaurant kitchens, and supermarket freezer aisles, is running out. Not slowly. Not eventually. Right now.
And at Oceanpick Private Limited, the company behind Round Island Fresh, we have spent years building the answer.
Who We Are: Oceanpick and Round Island Fresh
Oceanpick Private Limited is a Sri Lanka-based aquaculture company founded with a single, clear conviction: that the world’s growing demand for premium white fish cannot be met by wild fisheries alone, and that the right response is not to take more from the ocean — but to farm responsibly within it.
We raise Barramundi (Asian Sea Bass) in open-ocean pens in Trincomalee Bay, Sri Lanka — one of the world’s deepest natural harbours and one of its most pristine marine environments. Our consumer brand, Round Island Barramundi, brings this fish to importers, distributors, retailers, foodservice providers, and ultimately to plates around the world.
Trincomalee Bay is not a compromise location. It is one of the finest aquaculture environments on earth: deep, clean, naturally oxygenated Indian Ocean water that produces fish of exceptional quality, consistency, and flavour.
The Crisis Behind the Story: What Is Happening to Wild Cod?
To understand why Barramundi matters, you first need to understand what is happening to cod. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) — the scientific body that governs North Atlantic fisheries — recommended zero commercial cod catches across the entire Northern Shelf for 2026. Not a reduction. Zero.
−61%
285K MT
−44%
+20%
These are not temporary fluctuations caused by a single bad year. Scientists describe these as structural stock collapses — declines happening simultaneously across every major cod-producing region in the world. The Barents Sea, the last great cod refuge, is under growing pressure. Baltic Sea stocks are effectively at zero for directed fishing. No credible recovery timeline exists within any commercially relevant planning horizon.
And beyond the biology, there is geopolitics. Norway and Russia together produce the majority of global cod. Their fisheries agreement — always complex — became harder to negotiate in 2026 as sanctions on Russian shipping companies complicated talks. The United States ban on Russian seafood, combined with Section 301 tariffs on Chinese-processed fish, has added further volatility to a market already under severe strain.
What Is Barramundi? Meet the Fish That Changes Everything
Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) — known commercially as Asian Sea Bass — is not a substitute for cod. It is a premium white fish in its own right, with a profile that matches or exceeds wild cod across every dimension that matters: nutrition, taste, texture, sustainability, and supply reliability.
If you have never tried Barramundi, here is what you need to know.
Taste and Texture
Barramundi has a mild, clean, white-fleshed flavour with a firm yet flaky texture. It performs identically to cod in every cooking method — battered, grilled, baked, poached, pan-fried. Chefs report near-identical consumer acceptance in blind taste comparisons. If your customers love white fish, they will love Barramundi.
Nutrition
A single serving of Barramundi delivers 25 grams of high-quality protein — up to 60% of daily requirements. It carries a 1:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, widely regarded as the nutritionally optimal balance, and contains just 0.02 ppm of detectable mercury when responsibly farmed. It is a nutritional powerhouse in a clean, versatile format.
Sustainability
This is where Barramundi — and specifically Round Island Fresh Barramundi — stands apart from almost every other white fish on the market.
Round Island Fresh holds ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) certification [LINK-B] — the gold standard for responsible aquaculture, equivalent to what MSC certification represents for wild fisheries. We also hold BAP 4-Star, BRC, HACCP, and ISO 14064-1 certifications, and we are committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for our greenhouse gas reduction roadmap.
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch programme has awarded farmed Barramundi its “Best Choice” sustainability rating — the highest rating available.
Why Trincomalee? The Ocean Behind the Fish
Location is everything in aquaculture. The quality of the water determines the quality of the fish.
Trincomalee Bay in north-eastern Sri Lanka is one of the world’s finest aquaculture environments. It is one of the deepest natural harbours on the planet, fed by clean, naturally oxygenated Indian Ocean water. It sits in a region far from industrial pollution, far from intensive coastal farming, and far from the geopolitical instability that defines North Atlantic supply chains.
We farm our Barramundi in open-ocean pens — not enclosed tanks, not land-based systems — in this exceptional natural environment. The fish grow in real ocean conditions, producing the firm texture, clean flavour, and consistent quality that our customers depend on.
Barramundi vs Cod: The Sourcing Decision in Plain Terms
For importers, distributors, retailers, and foodservice operators, here is the comparison that matters.
What You Need
Round Island Barramundi
Our Story: Why Irfan Thassim Founded Oceanpick
Oceanpick was founded by Irfan Thassim with a vision that was both simple and ambitious: to build a world-class aquaculture operation in Sri Lanka that could compete on quality, consistency, and sustainability with the best seafood producers anywhere in the world.
Sri Lanka is an island nation with deep roots in the sea. But its aquaculture sector had never been developed to match its extraordinary natural potential. Trincomalee Bay — pristine, deep, protected — was the perfect starting point.
What followed was years of investment in infrastructure, technology, certifications, and the people and communities around the bay. Today, Oceanpick holds some of the most rigorous certifications in global aquaculture, has been recognised as a UNIDO One World Sustainability Awards Top 5 Global Finalist, and received the Presidential Environment and Export Award in 2025.
But the work is not finished. We are committed to the Science Based Targets initiative, to ongoing community programmes in Trincomalee, to mangrove restoration, and to demonstrating that commercial aquaculture and ocean conservation are not in conflict — they are the same goal.
Who We Work With
Oceanpick supplies premium Barramundi to partners across the global seafood supply chain. If you are any of the following, we would like to talk to you.
- Seafood importers and distributors
- Wholesale buyers and trading houses
- Cold-chain logistics and freight partners
- Export and import brokers
- Retail category managers and supermarket buyers
- Foodservice procurement leads
- Hotel and resort purchasing managers
- Restaurant groups and QSR operators
Ready to Make the Switch?
If you source white fish — or if you are looking for a premium aquaculture partner whose sustainability credentials are as strong as their product — we would love to hear from you.
Round Island Fresh Barramundi is available for sampling, specification review, and long-term supply partnership discussions. We are ready to be your white fish partner for the long term.