Salmon Evolution stocks third batch of smolts

Land-based fish farmer Salmon Evolution ASA has successfully completed its third smolt stocking at its facility on Indre Harøy (Harøy Island) in Norway, the company said in a stock market update today.

The company stocked about 200,000 smolts with an average weight of around 220 grams. The operation went according to plan and the fish are already responding well to feeding, Salmon Evolution said.

Salmon Evolution will begin a commercial harvest of its first batch of 100,000 fish next month. The fish were stocked at the end of March and had an average eight of 300 g.

Nearing harvest weight

As of September 30, the average weight was estimated at around 3.3 kg with observed individuals well above 4 kg. The batch was divided into two tanks at the beginning of October.

A second batch of smolts with a lower average weight of 125 g was stocked at Indre Harøy on July 13 and had an average weight of around 710 grams at the beginning of October.

All of the fish are being grown in Phase 1 of the facility which will have an annual capacity of 7,900 tonnes (head on gutted) at steady state. Fully developed, the Indre Harøy facility will have an annual capacity of 31,500 tonnes HOG.

Hybrid system

Salmon Evolution, which uses a hybrid recirculation and flow-through farming system, has also entered into a joint venture with Dongwon Industries to develop, construct and operate a land-based salmon farming facility in South Korea with an annual production capacity of 16,800 tonnes HOG.

The Norwegian company also aims to establish a land-based salmon farming operation in North America and has secured options to potential sites for a large facility on the west coast.

Its aim is to produce 100,000 tonnes (HOG) of salmon annually by 2032.