Mowi chair: Norway can raise production five-fold

Lerøy also reiterated a commitment to open net pen farming, pointing out there is nothing more efficient than farming in the sea.

The Mowi chair was speaking The Ocean 2019 conference in Bergen, where he shared a platform with Grieg Group chair and co-owner Elisabeth Grieg. They addressed questions such as what will the Norwegian aquaculture industry look like in the future, will it move ashore, and is it sustainable?

Onshore facilities

“Norway can quintuple its aquaculture without any problems,” said Lerøy.

When asked whether the Norwegian aquaculture industry would move ashore, Lerøy said Mowi had made significant investments in onshore facilities.

“We have seen that the production of smolt can be even better on land and make the fish even better than in the sea during the most important growing-up phase, but then we put it out into the sea,” Lerøy said.

Passenger planes

He said the salmon is a very efficient animal and uses almost no energy even when moving.

“Norwegian salmon is one of the most environmentally friendly foods you can eat,” added Lerøy. 

In terms of air pollution from transport, Lerøy said that most Norwegian salmon flown abroad goes on passenger planes, so they use the planes that are already flying.

Air transport ‘will continue’

“We are constantly trying to make the cargo easier, for example by filleting and using less ice, but it is now the case that the world wants fresh fish, so air transport will continue,” said Lerøy. He added that a significant proportion of exports is also transported on ships, which are more environmentally friendly.

“We are also moving production facilities closer to the markets to avoid as much transport as possible,” said Elisabeth Grieg. She leads the Grieg Group, which through Grieg Seafood is also a significant international player in aquaculture.