Nordic launches promo video for California RAS
Nordic Aquafarms has released a new video promoting its proposed on-land salmon farm in Humboldt County, California.
At the end of last month Nordic (NAF) revealed that it was expanding the scope of the recirculating aquaculture facility (RAS) to give it the same capacity as the 33,000-tonnes-per-year farm it intends to build in Maine on the other side of the United States.
The two-and-a-half-minute video talks about the water resources, competitive energy prices and great infrastructure available at Humboldt, and says that at 270 miles north of San Francisco it is relatively close to 50 million consumers.
‘Best in class’
It adds that 99% of water will be recycled, with the remaining 1% treated before being safely discharged “far offshore”.
“Our discharge treatment is best in class in the industry with 99% removal of most nutrients, and 85% removal of nitrogen,” said the company in a press release accompanying the video.
“NAF also has advanced microfiltration on its discharge, enabling the highest bio-security standards in protecting receiving waters. We have raised almost all our RAS standards in our US farms.
“We would like to thank the Humboldt community for being constructive and supportive in our work to create a great new addition to the community. We are there as a long-term contributing community member wanting to see Humboldt prosper in the years to come.”
Spring target for site work
In April, NAF said permits for California are expected in 2021 based on dialogues with permitting agencies, and that demolition of existing buildings on the site could start next spring.
The company’s progress in California has been quicker than in the town of Belfast, Maine, where some residents have opposed NAF’s plans and where pipeline access to the sea has been the subject of a court case over who owns the land the pipe would run across.
NAF said last month that permitting deliberations for Belfast were now “in their final weeks after a long and at times challenging process” and no more documentation was required from it by authorities.
Nordic Aquafarms produces around 1,000 tonnes a year of yellowtail kingfish at its Sashimi Royal RAS facility in Hantsholm, north west Denmark, and grows fingerlings for the plant at its Maximus AS hatchery on the shore of Limfjord in the same region.
The company also runs Fredrikstad Seafood, which is growing Atlantic salmon on an industrial estate in Fredrikstad in south-east Norway. The RAS facility has a capacity of 1,500 tonnes a year and a maximum permitted biomass of 800 tonnes.
