To underpin its endeavours in the field of offshore fish farming, SalMar has confirmed the appointment of Trine Sæther Romuld as chief financial officer and director of strategy at its subsidiary SalMar Ocean.
Sæther Romuld will leave her current role as SalMar Group’s CFO and COO and take up the new position once her replacement is found. This recruitment process is already underway, with the plan for her to take up her new post on 1 September, 2021.
“I am looking forward, together with the rest of the team in SalMar Ocean, to further develop what is the start of a new industrial adventure for the seafood and the supply industry,” she said.
According to SalMar CEO Gustav Witzøe, SalMar’s focus on the open ocean has “marked the start of a new era” in the seafood industry.
“Offshore fish farming opens vast new areas for sustainable food production and helps to secure world’s food supply in a long-term perspective,” he said. “By strengthening the team in SalMar Ocean with the appointment of Trine Sæther Romuld, we are further reinforcing this important strategic effort for SalMar.”
SalMar’s full-scale offshore pilot Ocean Farm 1 was put into operation in an exposed area of the ocean off the coast of Frøya in central Norway in autumn 2017. Two complete production cycles have since been carried out and a combined total of 10,000 metric tons (MT) of salmon have already been supplied to the market.
“We have been able to observe strong biological results, with strong growth, low mortality, low sea lice levels and a production costs on par with the best coastal locations,” SalMar Ocean CEO Olav-Andreas Ervik said.
SalMar’s offshore development is also progressing its Smart Fish Farm project, which is planned to be established in the open ocean outside of central Norway. The company said that it wants to build a series of these units for offshore production, based on the experience it has gained, provided that authorities open up for locations and licenses in these areas.
“In the open ocean, the Gulf Stream supplies a continuous flow of high-quality water at the right temperature. We have no need to add further energy or fresh water. And the Gulf Stream gets its power from the sun, wind, and other deep ocean currents,” Ervik said.
The Norwegian-headquartered salmon farmer harvested a total 161,500 MT of salmon last year and achieved total operational earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of NOK 3 billion (USD 359.3 million, EUR 293.8 million).
Photo courtesy of SalMar
