Salmon Evolution announced today that it successfully completed the first smolt release on Saturday at its land-based salmon farming facility at on the west coast of Norway.
About 100,000 smolt were released at the Indre Harøy facility, with an average weight of around 300 grams. The smolt was supplied by Kraft Laks, Salmon Evolution’s in-house smolt facility, which was acquired in August 2021.
The smolt transportation from the facility was carried out with a wellboat after which the fish was carefully pumped into the first fish tank. All relevant fish health parameters were constantly monitored during the process with no negative indicators identified.
Following the positive confirmation of the fish transfer process and a customary short adaption period for the fish, initial feeding commenced. Salmon Evolution was pleased to reveal that the conditions in the farm are stable and the fish have shown a good appetite and behaviour in line with expectations.
This milestone is the result of a thorough testing and commissioning phase that started already in December last year and has now culminated with the launch of the operation of the first part of the company’s facility.
“Since we started construction back in May 2020, this is the moment that we all have been waiting for. I am extremely proud of our organization and the fact that we have been able to adhere to our ambitious timeline, even with the challenges faced us during the pandemic”, Håkon André Berg, CEO of Salmon Evolution, said.
“At the same time, this is just the beginning. As we now move forward, our number one priority is the biology in our farm. Good biology will improve fish quality and translate into strong growth, which finally will be reflected in the financial performance. With our organization now totalling more than 40 highly skilled employees, I am more confident than ever in our mission – extending the ocean potential”, Salmon Evolution’s CEO added.
Over the coming months Salmon Evolution stated that it will gradually ramp up production at the facility, with the next release of smolt planned already in May. Steady state smolt release volumes are expected from Q4 2022, where, at the same time, both completion of phase 1 and the first harvest are expected.
