Tassal boss Mark Ryan knows Tasmania is a great place to grow salmon but a spot on Sydney Harbour would be ideal for a move into other seafoods.
The salmon company is in talks to buy seafood business De Costi, which was established at Sydney Fish Market in 1981 and has retail and wholesale operations across NSW.
There's no guarantee a deal will be done, but Mr Ryan said a mainland location would provide great benefits if Tassal is to chart new waters.
"Strategically something in NSW would appeal to us," he said.
"Tasmania doesn't give you the ability to (deal with) other seafood. One of the reasons is the tyranny of distance and shelf life.
"In the harbour - you're going to get better quality product coming out that's going to be fresher, handled in a food safe environment."
News of the De Costi talks came as Tassal announced a 35 per cent half year profit rise.
Mr Ryan said the company doesn't see itself moving into production of other types of seafood, but it does have an understanding of processing and marketing, and sees opportunities to lower prices.
The Australian seafood industry tends to be unsophisticated, he said, with a number of fragmented suppliers, processors and sellers running up high costs and waste.
"We know we can take out all those inefficiencies that sit in the supply chains so that margins can be passed off to our customers and ultimately the consumers," Mr Ryan said.
"So we can make seafood much more of an everyday staple."
He said the company's recent growth had been enabled by its environmental credentials, which have helped it maintain prices in a market made volatile by importers and discount retailers.
"People want our fish because we are doing the right thing," Mr Ryan said.
Tassal's profit growth in the six months to December was driven by favourable per-kilogram salmon prices and bigger, healthier fish.
TASSAL REELS IN A BIGGER PROFIT
* Net profit of $30.3m, up 35pct from $22.5m in 201/14
* Revenue of $151m, up 12pct from $134.5m
* Interim dividend of 7 cents, up from 5.5 cents
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