Norwegian land-based aquaculture company Andfjord Salmon has signed a letter of intent with aquafeed supplier Skretting Norway and Sortland-based Zooca (Calanus AS) that facilitates the provision of a specifically designed salmon feed and a long-term cooperation to increase the utilisation of the zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus (Calanus) in salmon feed.
Andfjord Salmon will be the first salmon farmer in the world to utilise a commercially developed feed that contains Calanus.
“Our ambition is to develop the world’s most fish friendly and sustainable aquaculture facility of its kind. Having our own specially designed feed, with unique ingredients from a local supplier, is another important building block towards realising this ambition,” Andfjord Salmon CEO Martin Rasmussen said.
The producer’s first smolt were released on 25 June.
“The fish [have] settled quickly and [have] already demonstrated a healthy appetite, which continues to improve daily. Fish mortality rate is extremely low, so it has been a promising start,” Rasmussen said.
In February this year, Andfjord Salmon entered into a strategic feed supply agreement with Skretting, who has now developed a feed that is specifically tailored to Andfjord Salmon’s flow-through technology to ensure optimal water quality, fish welfare and growth conditions in the land-based pool.
The feed has been named “Calanus Plus by Andfjord Salmon”. It consists of feed ingredients that have a proven track record from land-based salmon farming. However, the feed composition is specifically tailored to Andfjord Salmon’s flow-through system and location at Andøya.
Calanus Plus by Andfjord Salmon is the first salmon feed that utilises the zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus as raw material ingredient. The feed also contains algae oil as an alternative to marine fish oil.
“Calanus finmarchicus is nature’s own ‘starter’ feed. It is a natural prey that is biologically adapted to provide optimal nutrition for fish. Adding Zooca Hydrolysate made from Calanus finmarchicus to the feed will be very useful to stimulate the fish’s appetite in the transition to seawater. We look forward to cooperating with Zooca (Calanus AS) and Andfjord Salmon to realise the vast untapped potential that Calanus finmarchicus represents,” said Mads Martinsen, Director of Product Development and Sustainability at Skretting.
Supplying the Zooca Hydrolysate to Skretting is Zooca (Calanus AS), which processes Calanus finmarchicus at its facility at Sortland in Vesterålen, close to Andfjord Salmon’s site at Kvalnes, on the island of Andøya on the Arctic Archipelago of Vesterålen.
Calanus finmarchicus is one of the most numerous animal species on the planet, with an annual reproduction of approximately 300 million tonnes. It is also Norway’s largest harvestable and renewable marine resource.
Today, Zooca (Calanus AS)company only harvests approximately 0.0005% of the total volume annually.
“By sustainably harnessing high-performing, high-quality nutrients from Calanus finmarchicus, there is a large potential to improve long-term human health and ensure superior animal nutrition around the globe. We are delighted to secure this commercial breakthrough within salmon feed together with Andfjord Salmon and Skretting,” said Hogne Abrahamsen, International Account Director at Zooca.
“By utilising a locally harvested raw material, produced at a local production plant, and using the entire animal, we can make our feed even more sustainable and our salmon even more healthy. We look forward to using Calanus Plus by Andfjord Salmon at our Kvalnes site and to the long-term cooperation with Skretting and Zooca,” Rasmussen added.
