Plans by Icelandic aquaculture producer Arnarlax to increase production have been successful as a number of vessels have been made available for slaughtering and collection of morts at the Westfjords facilities.
Cages moored off Hringsdalur in western Iceland are being emptied over the coming weeks. Norwegian salmon slaughter vessel Norwegian Gannet has arrived in Iceland and is being used to boost production throughput at the Arnarlax facility in Bíldudalur, maximising efficiency and product quality as part of a venture that involves Akstur & Köfun, Tempru, Samskipa, Sæferða, Smyril Line and other key companies.
According to Arnarlax, there have been recent reports of losses, which the company estimates at around 500 tonnes, and this figure is expected to rise in the next few weeks.
Arnarlax plans a 10,000 tonne production in 2020 and the company stated that if this changes, announcements will be made. The production facility expects to handle around 18,000 tonnes, harvested from both Arnarlax and Arctic Fish cages.
Production set a new record last week – handling 18,200 fish with a 5.80kg average weight in a single day.
