“SalMar has helped to meet the government’s goals with the development permits to solve important environmental and land challenges facing the industry.”
This means that the eight permits the company from Feb 2016, included the company’s annual report on the realisation of its ocean cage “Ocean farm 1”, can now be included in the company’s ordinary production within the framework and rules for maximum permitted biomass (MTB). This was stated in a letter on the 7th of July.
The Directorate of Fisheries pointed out in its decision that “Ocean Farm 1” provided “rich and good documentation” showing that the target criteria and thus the conditions for conversion have been met.
The experience gained from the project has been described and reported to the Directorate of Fisheries, most recently in the form of a final report and a separate report on the development of the project in the first half of 2020. The reports are publicly available. In this way, the knowledge from the project the entire aquaculture industry benefits, as provided for in the regulations governing the scheme.
“SalMar is proud that in this way we have completed a project that we believe is groundbreaking in our efforts to develop an increasingly sustainable aquaculture industry. Behind the project is a unique interdisciplinary partnership between Norwegian and foreign players with leading expertise in aquaculture, offshore and relevant research. In the realisation of this project, SalMar has helped to meet the government’s goals with the development permits to solve important environmental and land challenges facing the industry,” said SalMar founder and CEO Gustav Witzøe.
“SalMar has so far spent approximately NOK 1 billion (EUR 90 million) on designing and developing “Ocean Farm 1”, where over 50 per cent of this has been deliveries of services and equipment from Norwegian competence companies. The ocean farm project would not have been realised without the scheme of development licences introduced by the Government in 2015, and which has had broad political support in the Norwegian Parliament.
“In this way, together with the industry, the Norwegian authorities have triggered technological breakthroughs that will reinforce Norway’s position as a leader in equipment technology that can contribute to sustainable growth in the aquaculture industry,” added the CEO.
“The conversion does not affect the operation of “Ocean Farm 1”, which is now in the final part of the second production cycle. The positive experience from operations in the first two postpones will lay the foundation for “Ocean Farm 1” to also be included as an important production unit in SalMar’s overall aquaculture business.
“SalMar has already initiated a project to further assess the economic and technical conditions for building more units of similar designs as “Ocean Farm 1” in more exposed areas within the scope of the Planning and Building Act. Our experience from “Ocean Farm 1″ underpins SalMar’s strong belief in ocean-based farming,” added Witzøe.
