A mortality event in one of the grow-out systems at pilot farm Atlantic Sapphire Denmark A/S saw approximately 227,000 fish lost and has pushed back the next harvest revenue by about four months, the land-based salmon farming company has confirmed.
High nitrogen levels are thought to be to blame for the losses.
In a notification to the Oslo Stock Exchange, Oslo Børs, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.-headquartered Atlantic Sapphire stated that its Danish subsidiary experienced the mortality event on 29 February, 2020. Just one of its grow-out systems was affected, as the other portions and systems of the farm were protected by the segregation design that enables it to have various independent systems.
“Preliminary analysis, subject to further verification over the next days, indicates higher nitrogen levels than desired as the cause of the event, which has been addressed in a design modification. Other systems in the Danish pilot farm and the U.S.-based main facility had already been modified or are in the process of being modified to avoid future events,” it said.
The value of the biomass represented by the affected fish is insured, but the company is still assessing the complete financial impact of the event.”
Atlantic Sapphire has been operating its innovation center in Langsand, Denmark, since 2011. The aim of this facility is to establish the technology and procedures that will enable the company to commercially scale up production in end markets close to consumers.
“This incident demonstrates the importance and challenges of finishing commissioning of all Bluehouse systems while already in operation as well as the value of having multiple independent systems for biological risk diversification reasons,” the company said. “At the same time, the company’s strategy to have its Danish pilot farm as R&D facility proves immensely valuable in testing designs and identifying issues in this first and largest ever land-based, RAS salmon farm in the world."
Upon completion of the first phase of the construction of its U.S. recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility this year, giving it an expected annual output of 10,000 metric tons (HOG) salmon per year, Atlantic Sapphire will have a total of six independent grow-out systems in the United States. This, it said, will limit the risk of any systemic contamination to only about 15 percent of total output. The company has also secured U.S. water permits to produce up to 90,000 MT onsite annually.
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Sapphire
