Norwegian aquaculture services and equipment provider AKVA Group has secured a contract with Icelandic Land Farmed Salmon (ILFS) for the delivery of a new smolt facility to be built in Vestmannaeyjar, the most southern community in Iceland.
“This is an exciting project because it makes us self-sufficient in smolt-supply for our coming land-based grow-out project, thereby giving us the full control of our own value chain,” said Lárus Sigurður Ásgeirsson, Chairman of the board of ILFS.
According to ILFS, Heimaey is an ideal location for the land-based grow-out of salmon due to good access to land, infrastructure and logistics to markets, as well as strong community support – with human resources from the local fishing and processing sectors also backing the project.
Additionally, the lava sand of Heimaey is a natural filter – providing the farm with clear, warm seawater.
“Our goal is to produce superior quality salmon in the most sustainable environment possible,” Ásgeirsson said.
“We chose AKVA because of their track record and experienced people,” he explained. “Also, we were excited about AKVA’s ‘zero water concept’. It allows us to build a RAS facility on an island with limited access to fresh water.”
ILFS’s main markets are Europe and North America. When the RAS smolt and grow-out units’ construction is complete, the company expects to produce 10,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon a year in the first phase of production.
With the second phase, the aim is to double this volume.
