Fish Farmer 2022 Year Book

126 NEWS REVIEW – LAND-BASED FARMING AND HATCHERIES

Land-based farming and hatcheries RAS farm projects saw much investment - and a few setbacks too

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This page from top: Årdal Aqua (impression); Andreas Kvame Opposite from top: The Dongwon farm; SalMar’s Tjuin hatchery; Proximar Seafood site

Landbased Farming v2.indd 126

N enormous amount of investment is going into recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in fish farming, but while the rewards are potentially great, so are the risks.

In January, for example, we reported that a 500-cubic-metre tank had burst at pilot RAS salmon farm in Norway just a few days before the facility was due to take its first fish.

The incident took place at the Havlandet RAS pilot, which is part of the INC Group. At first it was reported there had been an explosion, but this has since been ruled out.

According to the Bergens Tindene newspaper, initial estimates of the cost of the damage to the tank – also known as a bioreactor – is thought to be around NOK 3m (£250,000). It was filled with water at the time.

Havlandet, which has more than 17 years’ experience of land-based farming with other fish species, began construction work on the site in January this year, close to the city of Florø in western Norway.

In February, it emerged that Grieg Seafood was set to become the first mainstream salmon producer to

invest in a land-based site designed to grow salmon to market size .

The joint venture in Western Norway will be called Årdal Aqua. It will produce 3,000 tonnes of postsmolt for restocking at conventional marine sites, as well as up to 2,000 tonnes of market-sized salmon. Årdal Aqua is one-third owned by Grieg Seafood, one-third by smolt and post-smolt company Vest Havbruk and one-third by Stavanger-based investor group Omfar.

CEO Andreas Kvame said: “We are working hard to improve biology and fish welfare, and to reduce our impact.

“For a long time, we have invested in post-smolt, where we keep the fish longer on land before we release it into the sea, as an important part of the solution.”

He added: “With Årdal Aqua, we will be able to develop this farming method further. We aim for all of our

29/11/2021 15:01:42