The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries has informed Marine Harvest that its fully enclosed salmon farming concept known as “the egg” qualifies in general for the government’s development license scheme and that four licenses for this project could be awarded.
Marine Harvest applied for 14 development licenses in relation to its egg technology in February this year, saying that the concept had many advantages compared to conventional farmed salmon production with regard to minimizing environmental impact and value creation.
In a statement, Marine Harvest said it was very pleased with the positive feedback from the directorate and that it was encouraged to see that the authority shared its view that the egg concept represented a new technology that may contribute to moving the salmon farming industry forward.
“We will continue to work with the authorities, and hope they will reach a final conclusion imminently in order for the project to commence,” the company said.
To date, Marine Harvest has applied for 34 development licenses for four concepts.
Because the Norwegian salmon farming industry is now spending more than NOK 3 billion (USD 349.7 million, EUR 330.7 million) per year on sea lice challenges, the country’s government has incentivized companies to develop technology that solves issues around sea lice and escaped fish, as well as removing waste particles and potential feed spills from farming operations. In return, those companies can apply for additional licenses.
