Norwegian aquaculture company Andfjord Salmon has reported continued good biological conditions in its first land-based pool at Kvalnes, Andøya, with its fish continuing to “grow well” and the survival rate remaining “industry leading”.
As of 30 November 2022, the average weight of the salmon was 1.35kg – up from 560g at the end of September.
The average weight of the smolt was 120g when it was released on 25 June 2022.
At the same time, the salmon’s survival rate stands at 98.7%, with the company advising that there will always be some fish mortality as the weakest individuals will be removed from the pool, and that it also regularly extracts fish to conduct health examinations.
“Fish health, growth and survival rate are all interconnected. The foundation is strong biological conditions and a pool eco system that is as close as possible to the salmon’s natural habitat in the ocean outside Andøya,” Andfjord Salmon CEO Martin Rasmussen said.
Energy consumption at Andfjord Salmon’s Kvalnes pool continues to be low and well within the company’s target of 1 kwh/kg salmon produced.
“The low energy consumption and associated costs underline the attractiveness of our flow-through system,” Rasmussen said.
Andfjord Salmon is using water from depths of approximately 40 metres below the sea surface for its flow-through technology solution. The water is substituted 15-17 times every 24 hours.
The company’s pools are square shaped with the intention of replicating a cross section of the Gulfstream. At slaughter weight, the density will be around 35-40kg/m3.
It plans conduct its first harvest in mid-2023.
In parallel with the first production cycle at Kvalnes, Andfjord Salmon is working on detailing the most cost-efficient build-out process for Kvalnes Phase 2, which aims to increase production volume at Kvalnes from 1,000 to 19,000 tonnes HOG.
