IN BRIEF - Ståle Walderhaug Appointed New CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF)
NORWAY
Friday, March 21, 2025
Ståle Walderhaug has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF). The 49-year-old, who most recently served as Director of Oil Spills, Monitoring, and Analysis at Kongsberg Satellite Services in Tromsø, will return to the seafood sector this autumn.
Walderhaug brings a robust background to FHF, holding a civil engineering degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and a doctorate in software development from the University of Tromsø (UiT). His professional experience includes research positions within SINTEF companies, management roles at SINTEF Digital, and the CEO position at SINTEF Nord AS. He has also spent 15 years teaching computer science and Ocean Leadership at UiT.
During his tenure at SINTEF, Walderhaug collaborated closely with the fishing industry, gaining extensive knowledge of the Norwegian seafood sector. At FHF, he will now engage with the broader Norwegian seafood industry.
"My desire to contribute to research and development in partnership with the seafood industry proved too compelling to resist," stated Ståle Walderhaug. "This industry is vital to Norway and demonstrates a strong commitment to utilizing cutting-edge research. I am eager to begin my work at FHF."
Atlantic Sapphire has entered into a restructuring agreement with a group of major shareholders and convertible loan holders aimed at securing long-term financing, reducing debt, and taking the land-based salmon farmer private.
The investor group includes Nordlaks Holding, Condire Management, Nokomis Capital, Strawberry Capital, and Joh. Johannsson Eiendom. Together, the group represents around 63% of Atlantic Sapphire’s shares and 93% of its outstanding convertible loan.
The transaction includes a voluntary offer of NOK 0.80 (€0.07) per share, followed by a planned squeeze-out of minority shareholders and a delisting from Euronext Oslo Børs.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
A new free trade deal in the Middle East is expected to provide a boost for Scottish exports amid global economic uncertainty, Scotland’s salmon farming trade body has said.
Salmon Scotland said the deal between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ensures permanent tariff-free access for UK goods to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, removing five per cent tariffs on some salmon exports.
Salmones Austral officially launched its direct operations in Asia with the opening of its new commercial office in Tokyo, under the name Japón Austral.
The launch event took place on May 19 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Japanese capital. The event brought together approximately 50 attendees, including key clients from the region, trade attachés from ProChile, and senior company executives, marking a strategic milestone in the firm's internationalization plan.
The new Japón Austral office will primarily focus on coordinating and expanding the company's business in various Asian markets, excluding China.
The Chilean Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca) is monitoring and evaluating a new situation affecting the jack mackerel fishery, this time in the Atacama and, to a lesser extent, Coquimbo regions, where artisanal and industrial vessels have detected a high presence of the resource, but with specimens that do not reach the minimum legal catch size.
This situation adds to the difficulties already faced by the Biobío Region, where to date only about 34% of the available quota has been caught due to the low presence of jack mackerel in the area, explains Subpesca, which is maintaining constant monitoring of the situation.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
The Nueva Pescanova group has launched a research project applying technological solutions based on sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize the detection of foreign bodies in fish products and advance automation, as announced this Thursday in a press release.
According to the statement, the project, called Sensomare, will be developed by a multidisciplinary consortium made up of technology and food sector companies, with the collaboration of the canning industry association Anfaco and the University of Vigo.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
After nearly four years of work, the AquaWind project, coordinated by the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI), has demonstrated that, under real-world conditions, renewable energy production and aquaculture can not only coexist but also complement each other to optimize the use of the sea.
The prototype combining floating offshore wind and aquaculture is no longer just a concept; it is a physical reality in the Atlantic. Following this technological success, the next step is administrative. As indicated at the results presentation, the main bottleneck is no longer technical but regulatory and administrative, in addition to the need to strengthen public acceptance.
Source: iPac.aquaculture | Read the full article here
Scotland’s salmon industry has been given a big new lift following a key trade deal between the UK and the Middle East.
It follows a similar trade agreement with South Korea last December.
The industry trade body Salmon Scotland said the deal between the UK and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) ensures permanent tariff-free access for UK goods to the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, removing five per cent tariffs on some salmon exports. Scottish salmon exports to the region hit £6.5 million in 2025 with 670 tons.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Inmarsat Maritime has partnered with Argentinian technology provider Ingenieros Electrónicos Asociados (IEA) to deploy its NexusWave connectivity service across the fleet of fishing company Glaciar Pesquera.
The rollout is aimed at supporting Glaciar’s operational efficiency goals while also improving onboard welfare for crew working on long voyages.
NexusWave is a fully managed bonded multi-network service designed to provide secure, high-speed and unlimited connectivity at sea. According to the companies, the solution removes concerns around data overages and unpredictable communication costs, while improving network stability and operational reliability.
According to sector statistics provider Akvafakta, the spot price of Norwegian farmed salmon decreased by NOK 5.38 (£0.43) per kilo last week (week 20), down to NOK 72.56 (£6.08) per kilo.
This is a price that is almost NOK 1 below the price in the same week last year.
The average spot price so far this year is NOK 83.44/kg, compared to the equivalent of NOK 86.85 in 2025.
Author: Pål Mugaas Jensen / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
BioMar is set to debut on the Copenhagen stock exchange at a valuation of DKK 11.5–12.4 billion (€1.50–1.61 billion), after parent company Schouw & Co. set an IPO price range of DKK 100–108 (€13.00–14.04) per share, according to Bloomberg News.
The offering could raise up to DKK 2.72 billion (€353.6 million), with most of the proceeds going to Schouw. The flotation would mark Copenhagen’s largest IPO since 2018.ATP, Danske Bank Asset Management, DNB Asset Management, Nykredit Asset Management and Tind Asset Management have jointly committed to purchasing around half of the shares on offer. Morgan Stanley and DNB Carnegie are acting as bookrunners.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here