Norwegian farmed salmon producer SalMar is moving ahead with plans to develop its offshore farming subsidiary, Ocean Farming, despite acknowledging regulatory hurdles and the “costly” nature of the project.
SalMar discussed Ocean Farming in a section of its 2014 annual report. Under the headline, “Offshore Fish Farming – A New Era,” the report described the facility as being “loosely-anchored,” and operating at sea depths of 100-300 meters. The report described the location as “perfect for ‘fish friendly’ farming.”
The report touted the farm as being efficient enough to operate without the need of support boats or equipment, and will require no more than 2-4 crew to operate daily. It can even run fully automated if necessary.
Further development will not be easy. While the company included a photo of the pilot facility, the report acknowledged “satisfactory construction costs and regulatory conditions” remain a factor.
“Realization of the offshore fish farm will be costly, and is contingent on the authorities granting a license for adequate production volumes at competitive terms,” SalMar wrote.
But the company remains committed. According to the report, SalMar has invested NOK 47.2 million (USD 6.3 million, EUR 5.6 million) in Ocean Farming since acquiring the subsidiary on 31 December 2013.
