Algae can both reduce emissions and be an alternative raw material in feed. Some of the nutrients released from salmon cages are water-soluble and can be used to fertilise the algae and lead to increased carbon capture.
“Integrated salmon and kelp farming enables us to both utilise nutrients around the farming cages as a resource and get more alternative feed raw materials,” said Knut Ellekjær, managing director of Cermaq Norway. “It is good circular economy and will help reduce the footprint from salmon farming.”
The project aims to test in full scale a new type of plant for the integrated production of salmon and kelp, exploring how the nutrients from the salmon cages are taken up in the kelp, how the kelp production affects the aquatic environment in the cages, and what effect the integrated production has on the health of the fish. It also aims to develop kelp into a new feed raw material for salmon.
“Algae are part of the green shift, and we have great faith in algae production as a future industry,” continued Knut Ellekjær. “This is also the reason why we have included SINTEF, NOFIMA, Nord University and NTNU as leading research environments on how we can develop kelp production,” he added.
