Cod-farming company Purecod AS has been granted a permit to farm Atlantic cod at sea in closed pens at Røneset, Storfjorden, Norway, with permission given to have a maximum standing biomass of 3,120 metric tons (MT).
The permit given by the county municipality of Møre and Romsdal is the first of its class and paves the way for Purecod to become the world’s first cod farmer using closed pens, the company said in a press release. It also highlighted that the farming system provides the opportunity to significantly lower its emissions.
According to Purecod CEO Mikael Rønes, the permission represents an important milestone for his company and can also be “a game-changer” for the wider industry.
“Cod farming is now at a crucial moment of development, and for us to be using cleaner, more responsible farming methods at this early stage is a very significant move in the right direction," he said.
Rønes has been involved in the development and improvement of cod farming as both an entrepreneur and as an industry expert for a number of years. In 2018, he co-founded Norcod AS, and is the founder of American Aquafarms, which is seeking to build a closed-pen Atlantic salmon farm in the U.S. state of Maine.
Purecod was registered in 2020, and is part of privately-owned Blue Future AS.
Farming cod at sea in closed pens ensures that the fish grow optimally in their natural environment, free of stressors such as predators or parasites, and at suitable temperature all year round, the company said.
Its closed pens consist of a double containment barrier that is designed to minimize the risk of fish escapes to reduce the possibility of direct interaction with the surrounding environment. The pens are equipped with a waste collection and transportation system that allows organic matter to be collected safely.
As part of Purecod’s sustainability strategy, the company is exploring different solutions to process the waste produced by the its cod.
Photo courtesy of Purecod
