Grieg Seafood British Columbia has advanced several initiatives designed to move more of its salmon production into land-based systems.
In separate announcements, Grieg Seafood B.C. said it will proceed with the installation of three CO2L Flow system, semi-closed, custom-designed farm enclosures in Esperanza Inland, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It also announced the completion of its Gold River Hatchery project, known as the RAS 34 Project in mid-February 2022.
“As a company, we are always looking for ways to improve our operations, and this includes transitioning from standard farming equipment, to new, cutting-edge technology aimed at reducing potential impacts from our operations,” Grieg Seafood B.C. Managing Director Rocky Boschman said.
The CO2L Flow system uses retractable barriers that fully encapsulate the sides of each farming unit to reduce sea lice transfer between farmed and wild salmon, protect its own salmon from harmful algae, and ensure water quality inside the farms using a specially-designed aeration technology, according to Boschman.
“As ocean-based farmers, one of the most common questions or concerns we hear is regarding sea lice, and the transfer of lice between wild and farmed populations. The CO2L Flow system with its barrier protection has resulted in drastically reduced sea lice numbers on the farmed population, which in turn reduces the need for us to treat,” Boschman said. “During the trial period at our west coast site, we were able to keep sea lice levels so low that the fish did not require treatment for lice. Overall, we are pleased with the results and there is no denying that this new system represents a transition towards what in-ocean farms can one day become.”
The CO2L Flow system also recorded 40 percent better growth, 19 percent lower mortality, and a 13 percent better feed-conversion ratio in its trials, Boschman said.
“During sensitive wild salmon migration periods or times when we know there is harmful algae in the region, we can lower the barriers on the farm, forming a barrier between the wild salmon and the farmed population, this prevents lateral interaction, and significantly reduces the transmission of sea lice between the populations,” Grieg Seafood G.C. Certifications and Regulatory Director Dean Trethewey said. “The barriers can be fully lifted outside of these periods, allowing the farmed fish to benefit from natural ocean conditions, temperatures, currents, and oxygen levels.”
CPI Equipment, Poseidon Ocean Systems, and Oxzo Technologies, were also involved in the project, which can be adapted to fit existing Grieg Seafood farm sites. Grieg said the next step in its development will be collection of solid waste to reduce pollution and potential convert it into a value-added product such as fertilizer.
At the Gold River Hatchery, Boschman said the new CAD 25 million (USD 20 million, EUR 18 million) RAS 34 facility will allow for the annual growth of up to four million smolts up to one kilogram in size.
“The new facility will effectively double our smolt capacity at our hatchery and allow us to start to explore keeping our fish in the hatchery for longer, which will reduce the time required in the ocean, known as post-smolt farming. This is part of our overall company goal of transitioning more of our production onto land,” Boschman said. “With our constantly evolving research and science into new and better fish culture processes, we now know that there are benefits to both the wild and farmed populations if we allow our fish to grow larger than the traditional 100-gram size at which we have been generally transferring smolts to our ocean farms. These benefits include the reduced time spent in the ocean, which minimizes the overall period during which wild and farmed salmon can interact. It also has direct benefits for the farmed salmon, as by allowing the fish to grow larger on land and transferring them at a larger size to our ocean farms, the fish are better able to handle the transition from fresh to salt water, and are overall healthier as they are better able to resist the natural bacteria and pathogens found in the ocean environment.”
The six tanks housed within the RAS 34 building are now being filled and seeded with healthy bacteria, according to the company. The overall management system for the facility is scheduled for completion in March, followed by the addition of the first fish in April. Begun in 2019, the project has a listed capacity of 400 metric tons (MT), which will give the entire hatchery an annual capacity of 900 MT. Boschman said the project was in line with the national and provincial government’s environmental concerns with net-pen salmon farming. In December 2020, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced the phase-out of all existing salmon farming facilities in the B.C.’s Discovery Islands.
“As a company, we would be interested in continuing to move forward with projects like these, which help to improve our overall operation, create jobs and inject millions into the local economy,” Boschman said. “We are hoping that by working with local [First] Nations, the provincial government, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we will be able to help define what a transition for the industry will look like, and how we can look to invest and grow in that direction once we have industry stability, which will be required for any type of further investment in our operations.”
Grieg Seafood BC is one of the largest salmon farming companies in British Columbia, targeting 22,000 MT of salmon harvests this year from 22 farm licenses located on both the east and west coast of Vancouver Island. It contracts its processing to a locally owned and operated processing facility north of Campbell River, B.C., where it is based, and is seeking additional salmon-farming permits in partnership with the Tlowitsis Nation. Globally, Bergen, Norway-headquartered Grieg Seafood is targeting 90,000 MT of harvest in 2022.
On 21 February, 2022, Grieg Seafood announced the hiring of Ken Taylor to lead the development and execution of Grieg Seafood’s downstream strategy in the North American market. Taylor worked as vice president of purchasing, sales, and logistics at Peter Pan Seafood Company. He also has 24 years of experience from Mowi, where he developed and managed the raw material and trade sales operations for North America, according to Grieg. Taylor will start his new position in the middle of March 2022.
“Grieg Seafood is on an exciting journey of growth where we are building a stronger presence in the market,” Grieg Seafood Chief Commercial Officer Erik Holvik said. “Last year, as a first step, our new fully integrated global sales and marketing organization became operational. Now we are in the process of developing our downstream strategy, which is based on strategic partnerships, value added processing, category development and brand cultivation.”
Taylor, who will oversee 18 employees in Grieg’s fully integrated sales division based in Vancouver, B.C., only joined Peter Pan in April 2021, but said he “could not let the opportunity of developing Grieg Seafood’s presence in the North American market go.”
“It is in the salmon industry that I have spent most of my career,” he said. “I look forward to joining the entire Grieg Seafood team and working together in building partnerships downstream as we grow our business."
In addition to its B.C. operations, Grieg is also creating a new farming region in Newfoundland on Canada’s East Coast.
Photo courtesy of Grieg Seafood
