Hatching a plan

The design aims to minimise lice and escapes as well as collect fish waste and each egg will be 44m high by 33m wide and be able to accommodate 1,000 tonnes of salmon.

“The objective of this project is to enhance the competitive advantage Norwegian aquaculture already has access to sheltered coastal areas. The egg represents a new direction, and is a leap in the development of closed systems. Our goal is to produce healthy and tasty salmon on a more sustainable and cost effective manner,” comments CEO of Marine Harvest, Aarskog.

The project will run over three phases, with the gradual development and testing of the concept. The application aims for full-scale testing with a total of ten units in 2018. Prior to that pilot tests will be run in prototype designs.

“To justify the investment costs, as well as to verify the technology's competitiveness and performance, large-scale tests are vital. It is therefore very important that our application is granted in its entirety. If we succeed, it will be a quantum leap for the entire industry,” says Aarskog.

The design targets the sheltered coastal areas where the industry currently operates.

“We believe the design has the potential to strengthen the industry's competitiveness, while the footprint decreases sharply. The technology is aimed at areas that are currently used for aquaculture, and can simultaneously open new areas in the Norwegian fjords. If we succeed, the output from the current sites could be increased significantly, says Cato Lyngøy, technology director at Hauge Aqua AS.

The project results will be made publicly available so that it can benefit the entire industry as a whole.

“We believe that the egg is innovative and groundbreaking. Hauge Aqua is by no means alone in the project. A solid team of experienced professionals must be given their share of the credit for this milestone. We are proud that Marine Harvest has chosen to trial the concept. Now it is up to us to deliver the goods,” says Lyngøy.