Fish welfare manager Oddvar Repstad stresses the importance of Salmon Evolution producing its own smolts. Photo: Salmon Evolution.

Salmon Evolution gets the go-ahead for hatchery

Salmon Evolution, which plans to build a huge on-land salmon farm in Norway, has won final approval for a hatchery to service the facility.

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The licensing decision by Møre and Romsdal County Municipality ensures access to smolt all year round.

The licence gives permission to produce 7.5 million smolt annually. The smolt plant is planned as a separate construction step in combination with raising the plant which will produce 28,00 tonnes of fish per year.

Value chain

For Salmon Evolution, control of the value chain is important.

“By establishing a hatchery, we will ensure the delivery of smolt in accordance with our quality requirements, and further reduce the biological risk in production,” said Oddvar Repstad, Salmon Evolution’s fish welfare manager, in a press release.

“The fact that Salmon Evolution has been granted the licence application to establish its own hatchery facility on Harøysundet is very gratifying,” said Tove Henøen, mayor of Fræna Municipality where the farm will be constructed.

More jobs

“This strengthens the project overall and will create more jobs for the municipality. In addition, this will make the entire region even more attractive for business development, including through utilisation of the marine resources.”

Salmon Evolution’s proposed NOK 3 billion (£279m) facility will have a maximum standing biomass of 13,300 tonnes and an annual salmon output of 28,800 tonnes. Permission for the grow-out facility was granted in summer 2018.