Land-based salmon farmer achieved 97.5% survival with first crop
Andfjord harvested 646 tonnes at a wide range of weights
Land-based fish farmer Andfjord Salmon’s first production cycle had an industry leading survival rate of 97.5% at harvest and a superior share of 91.1%, the company said today.
Andfjord grew the fish for a year in its pilot flow-through pool at Kvalnes on the island of Andøya in northern Norway.
The total biomass of Atlantic salmon reached 646 tonnes, translating to approximately 530 tonnes HOG (head on gutted), with an average weight of approximately 3.4 kilograms per fish. An exit count in conjunction with transfer of fish from the pool shows that approximately 193,000 salmon were stocked in the pool one year ago.
'We are elated'
“We are elated to achieve such a remarkable survival rate, especially after transportation to slaughter,” said chief executive Martin Rasmussen in a press release.
“The fact that 97.5% of the fish survived underscores that the fish have had excellent living conditions in the pool. As a consequence of this, we have harvested fish that may not have survived in other fish farming facilities. This has a negative impact on the average weight and superior share, which is still at an impressive level. However, a high survival rate is obviously the most valuable from a financial perspective.”
The weights of the harvested fish ranged from 1-2 kg up to 5-6 kg. Approximately 50% of the fish fell into the 2-3 kg category, achieving an average price of approximately 67 NOK/kg. Additionally, around 40% of the fish weighed between 3-4 kg, realising an average price of approximately 80 NOK/kg.
Customers positive
“The high-quality attributes of our salmon have not gone unnoticed by our customers, who have provided very positive feedback, especially on the colour of the fish,” said Rasmussen.
“This reiterates the conceptual advantages of Andfjord Salmon’s salmon farming method. Our main goal for the first batch of fish was to reach the ‘right’ buyers, not to maximise the average price. Even so, we have seen buyers coming back after the first shipment wanting to pay extra for the next delivery.
“This has made us even more confident that we will be able to achieve a healthy premium on our product in the future.”
Expansion to 40,000 tonnes
In future batches, Andfjord Salmon’s average slaughter weights will be notably higher, said the company. The reason behind the earlier slaughter of the inaugural batch is to accommodate the commencement of construction at the site.
Andfjord Salmon last month announced details of a build-out plan to reach a total production volume of 40,000 tonnes (HOG) at Kvalnes, and that the company had secured bank financing for its expansion.
The new production capacity will gradually be added between 2025 and 2030, with 8,000 tonnes (HOG) of production capacity expected to be added as early as 2025.
