Green light for offshore salmon project

Permission to grow almost 6,000 tonnes of salmon in two novel semi-submersible salmon farm systems has been granted to Arctic Offshore Farming by Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries.

The directorate granted 7.68 development licenses, equating to a capacity of 5,990 tonnes of maximum allowed biomass, for the development of the system, which is a joint project between Norway Royal Salmon (NRS), Aker ASA and Aker Solutions.

The semi-submersible offshore systems are designed for growing salmon in exposed locations. If successful such systems will, observe NRS, “provide significantly increased area utilization of Norwegian sea waters when positioned farther away from the coast, where in addition it will have a small environmental footprint.”

The original application involved 15 licences spread over four units. Following dialogue with the directorate, the revised concept will establish two units at the mouth of a fjord. Because the project has been scaled down to about half of the original project size and the capital requirements have been significantly reduced, Aker has chosen not to move further into the pilot and realisation phase. Aker Solutions will continue as a technology and collaboration partner in the project.

The facility will be significantly more exposed than today's locations, but the site offers these environmental conditions that are, according to NRS, “very attractive for salmon, with good water exchange that will ensure good fish welfare, growth and environmental sustainability”.

NRS plans to stock the facility with its first cohort of salmon in the summer of 2020. The industrial ambition is to combine knowledge from the fish farming industry with offshore expertise to develop the aquaculture industry of the future and secure sustainable future growth for the Norwegian aquaculture industry.

More information is expected to be published on the Norway Royal Salmon website soon, as the company seeks the possibility for potential suppliers to register their interest in collaborating on different parts of the project.

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