Norway-based cod farming company Ode said it has hit a new milestone in its efforts to farm cod in submersible pens.
Ode has been using a “deep farmed” method for some of its cod, and recently harvested a batch of cod from a submersible cage it sourced from AKVA Group. On 10 June, the company said it has continued to develop the technology and stocked juvenile cod directly into what it said is one of its largest submersible pens to date.
“This milestone is the result of extensive work, testing and learning across our organization,” the company said. “By building on experience from previous operations, we continue to develop and adapt submersible pen technology for cod.”
Ode CEO and Founder Ola Kvalheim said the new deep farming units, dubbed Nautilus Giga, will be more than 72,000 cubic meters in volume and will sit 80 meters below the surface of the ocean.
The company said the farming method provides space to grow, while supporting strong biological performance and fish welfare while providing control over cod maturation.
Kvalheim said the company has installed nine deep-farming units at its Alida site in Volda, Norway, and that stocking cod in one for the first time is a “great milestone” for Ode. He also pointed to recent seafood export statistics from Norway, which showed farmed cod made up half of all fresh cod exports from the country – with much of that coming from the company.
“For the first time ever, farmed cod from Ode made up more than half of the export volume of fresh cod from Norway in the month of May,” Kvalheim said.
He said the export numbers are being driven by both strong demand and the company’s steadily increasing production.
“This isn't a peak – it's a trajectory with significant momentum,” Kvalheim said. “Farmed cod is set to drive growth in the fresh market and carry the category to replicate the success of many other farmed meat and seafood species in the past.”
