Leah Williams Stoker, founder of FishPros Network and creator of America's Blue Highway Tour, spent a day visiting both of Spring Tilapia's Florida sites for a recent stop on her cross-country journey through America's seafood industry. Her trip started in Clewiston, home to the farm's grow-out operation, where fish spend a critical stage of their lifecycle in large outdoor tanks. She described the site, managed by Vicente Maldonado, as carrying the work forward "with precision and care."
From there, she made her way to Miami, where the operation's breeding and early life stages are managed. She was welcomed by CEO and Co-Owner Hideyoshi "Hide" Segovia-Uno, who walked her through the company's history, from its founding in 2009 by a Norwegian group to the highly technical, research-driven operation it's become today, work carried out in close partnership with Benchmark Genetics and the USDA.
Stoker got a firsthand look at the breeding process, including how eggs are carefully incubated and monitored through hatching, and spoke to what sets well-raised tilapia apart. She pointed to water quality, feed, and biosecurity as the difference between tilapia with an "off-flavor" reputation and the clean, mild, versatile fish grown on Spring Tilapia's farm. She also got to try it herself: a "Minuta" tilapia sandwich made fresh in the farm's outdoor kitchen, one she called unforgettable.
The visit closed with a shared lunch prepared by Pedro, who splits his time between field tech work and cooking for the team, a fitting reminder of just how connected production, food, and community are on the farm. Stoker left with more than notes for her tour: she described a lasting sense of gratitude for the team and the work, and encouraged readers who haven't tried well-raised tilapia recently to give it another chance.
A note for longtime followers: this visit was written up under the Spring Genetics name. The company has since rebranded as Spring Tilapia, though the farm, the team, and the fish remain the same.
Read the full farm visit writeup on LinkedIn.