Andfjord’s salmon reach 3 kilos
Land-based farmer reports 10-month survival rate of 98% and prepares for first harvest in two months
The first salmon being grown by land-based fish farmer Andfjord Salmon have reached an average weight of 3 kilograms, the company said in a stock market announcment today.
The fish are being raised in the company’s first flow-through pool at Kvalnes on the east coast of the island of Andøya in the Vesterålen archipelago, northern Norway. Andfjord Salmon plans its first harvest at the turn of June/July 2023.
"We are very proud of our biological performance, especially during the cold season,” said chief executive Martin Rasmussen. “The growth and fish welfare are beyond our expectations, explained by excellent pool conditions and colleagues that possess extensive experience and expertise from salmon farming. We have during the past couple of weeks also witnessed increased appetite from the salmon as ocean temperatures are increasing.”
As of 1 May 2023, ten months after smolt release, the survival rate was 98%. So far in 2023, the monthly mortality rate has been 0.1% on average. The fish health and welfare remain good in the pool, said Andfjord Salmon.
Best health report so far
“Independent fish health expert Åkerblå conducts fish health examinations every month. The latest fish health report, which we received last week, is the best so far,” said Rasmussen. “The fish health is excellent, which manifests itself in high growth and an industry-leading survival rate. We look forward to conducting first harvest and introducing our salmon to consumers soon.”
Andfjord Salmon’s pool is excavated to below sea level, which reduces the energy required to draw sea water from depth and enables the company to produce salmon at what it says is a world-leading 1kWh per kilo.
The company has the capacity to produce 1,000 gutted weight tonnes of salmon annually in the single pool it currently operates at Kvalnes and intends to excavate more pools to increase capacity to 19,000 gwt.
It has long-term plans to build farms at two other locations on Andøya, and to build a second facility at Kvalnes, which would take annual production to 90,000 gwt.
