SALMAR FORGES AHEAD WITH PLANS TO FARM FISH IN OPEN WATERS

SalMar forges ahead with plans to farm fish in open waters – MariCulture AS and SalMar ASA decided last month (December 2018) not to appeal against the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries’ partial rejection of their application for 16 development licences for a full-scale fish farming installation designed to operate in the open ocean.

The companies will therefore resume their discussions with the Directorate to agree conditions and performance criteria for the award of eight such licences. According to SalMar, its decision not to appeal was prompted by a desire to focus its energies on the realisation of the company’s ocean farming strategy. This strategy is important for Norway and the Norwegian aquaculture industry, in light of the current shortage of sustainable inshore fish farming sites and increased competition from onshore fish farming facilities that can be set up anywhere in the world.

In media statement, SalMar said: “Provided that agreement is reached with the authorities regarding terms and conditions for the new licences, SalMar – through its subsidiary MariCulture – is determined to forge ahead with the project. The resulting facility will be the world’s first designed specifically to farm fish in the open ocean. Total investment costs are provisionally estimated at NOK 1.5 billion. The specially designed ‘Smart Fish Farm’ will be capable of operating in areas subject to extremely rough weather conditions, around 20–30 nautical miles off the Norwegian coast. The new deepwater facility will be developed in close collaboration with world-leading Norwegian centres of technical excellence.

“Should this unique deepwater fish farm installation be realised, it will be a crucial breakthrough for the company’s ocean farming strategy. SalMar has already gained valuable experience of offshore aquaculture technology through its Ocean Farm facility. The first generation of salmon raised from smolt at the facility was very successful. The fish thrived, grew to a good size, did not require delousing treatments and had a low mortality rate. This contributed strongly to SalMar’s decision to take the next big step, and become the world’s first company to make use of the open ocean for fish farming.

“The Gulf Stream and the Norwegian Sea provide ideal natural conditions in which Atlantic salmon can grow and thrive. If SalMar’s ocean farming strategy is successful, huge areas could be opened up to environmentally sustainable aquaculture, enabling Norway to retain and strengthen its position as the world’s leading producer of Atlantic salmon for many years to come.

“The Smart Fish Farm has been specially designed for fish farming in the open ocean. The advanced production unit will hold twice as many fish as the Ocean Farm facility. With the capacity to produce 3 million salmon divided between eight production chambers, it will be around 70 m high and 160 m in diameter. It will have a closed, load-bearing central column, equal in size to the world’s largest harvesting plant. In addition to housing the facility’s control unit and research lab, it will also make it possible to treat fish for diseases and lice in closed-containment systems. The aim is to combine the best of both open and closed-containment aquaculture installations in one and the same unit. Furthermore, it will be required to meet the same safety standards as offshore oil and gas installations.

“The project will be followed up in close cooperation with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the research institution Sintef and the international technology group Kongsberg Gruppen. SalMar is extremely pleased with what this collaboration has achieved so far. It also wholeheartedly endorses the Norwegian government’s decision to work for the establishment of an Ocean Space Centre, which will contribute significantly to Norway retaining its position as a world leader in the future exploration of the seas.”