19,000 metric ton off shore facility given green light by Norwegian government.
Mariculture, a subsidiary of SalMar Aker Ocean, announced on Monday that it has received clearance from the Directorate of Fisheries to establish its “Smart Fish Farm” in the Norwegian Sea.
This new venture marks SalMar Aker Ocean’s second foray into the aquaculture industry with a farming rig. Their initial project, “Ocean Farm 1”, has been operational for several years, located in the exposed waters of Håbranden on the Trøndelag coast. However, this new “Smart Fish Farm” is set to be a break new ground and is positioned directly in the open sea.
CEO Roy Reite of SalMar Aker Ocean hailed the clearance as a crucial advancement. “This is an important step forward in order to realize the potential of offshore aquaculture,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of forthcoming decisions on ground rent tax and the overall regulatory framework for offshore aquaculture.
According to the details from the company’s application, this state-of-the-art facility will stand 70 meters tall and is designed to have a capacity for twice as many fish as SalMar’s “Ocean Farm”. It signals a significant expansion in the company’s production capacity, aiming for a maximum permitted biomass of 19,000 metric tons at the new site.
