Norwegian cod-farming company Ode has entered into an agreement with salmon-farming company Mowi to acquire its ballan wrasse facility in Vanylven, Norway.
Ode said the agreement will see Mowi continue to operate the facility through the summer months with the current stock of ballan wrasse. After that generation is harvested, Ode will take over the facility and all of its employees and use it to raise juvenile cod and broodstock for its cod-farming operations.
“Ode has a strong need for increased onshore capacity, and Sighaug fits perfectly into our portfolio with its skilled and experienced employees, proximity to several of Ode’s farming sites, and opportunities for further development and investment,” Ode CEO Ola Kvalheim said in a release. “The facility, together with several of its employees, has previously produced cod juveniles with very strong results, and we are confident that we can build on what Mowi has developed over the past years.”
Ballan wrasse take roughly 17 months to rear, and Mowi has used them as a means of controlling sea lice inside its salmon net pens.
Mowi Norway Regional Director Asgeir Hasund said converting the facility into a cod production facility is a “good solution” both for the facilities and the employees.
“Ode is a strong player in cod farming and will further develop the facility in a responsible and sustainable manner,” Hasund said.
Kvalheim said the company is now working with Mowi to apply and have the facility’s permitting changed to allow it to raise cod.
“We hope for a swift process with the relevant authorities so that operations can resume without interruption in activity,” he said.
