Image: Grieg Seafood / FIS

Salmon Grieg Seafood Finnmark builds new smolt unit for USD 98.7 M in Lebesby

NORWAY
Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

The new plant will produce 3,000 tonnes of post-smolt from 2026. It will create approximately 10 new jobs in Lebesby municipality.

"We work a lot to improve fish health, fish welfare and biology. Post-smolt will be an important tool to achieve all these things. Our aim is to grow and develop in a sustainable way with a lower footprint", says Vidar Aamo Nikolaisen, regional director at Grieg Seafood Finnmark.

The new unit will be connected to Grieg Seafood's existing smolt plant in Adamselv. The development will start in the autumn. The project has an estimated construction time of two years. The first post-smolt is scheduled to be released into the sea in 2026.

Better fish welfare and lice control

Post-smolt means that a larger part of the production cycle of the fish takes place on land, and that the time the fish is in the marine facilities is reduced. The fish are thus less exposed to diseases, salmon lice and other dangers in the sea. Both fish welfare and lice control will improve.

Grieg Seafood has until now piloted post-smolt in its farming region in Rogaland. The results so far are improved lice control and fewer lice treatments when post-smolt is combined with other preventive measures. Fish welfare and survival have increased in the post-smolt groups.

"Grieg Seafood Finnmark has until now had somewhat larger smolt than in traditional farming, but it is only with this investment that Grieg Seafood will seriously implement the post-smolt investment here in the north as well. We are looking forward to the first release in 2026". says Aamo Nikolaisen.

Construction was originally supposed to start in 2022, but was put on hold because the introduction of ground rent tax on aquaculture created great uncertainty. The final tax was better than the original proposal, and many politicians have signaled that they want to improve the tax even further. That is why Grieg Seafood Finnmark has now chosen to carry out the first phase of the development.

Good cooperation with Lebesby municipality

Source: Grieg Seafood

Grieg Seafood Finnmark has had good cooperation with Lebesby municipality in planning the project.

"We can't help but brag about mayor Sigurd Rafaelsen and the other politicians in the municipality. They are always on the ball and good at facilitating new business activity in Lebesby", says Aamo Nikolaisen.

Arrangements will be made for the facility to possibly be expanded with a further 3,000 tonnes of post-smolt (phase 2) at a later date, if Grieg Seafood so wishes.

Source: Grieg Seafood (Translated from the original in Norwegian)

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