New boss for Marine Donut maker Bluegreen Fusion
Former Sterner CEO gets his teeth into expansion at closed containment company
Bluegreen Fusion, the Norwegian company that makes the Marine Donut floating closed fish farm, has hired a new chief executive as it begins to scale up production.
Stian Johnsen comes from the position as CEO of Sterner AS and takes over from Johan Tufte, who remains as board chair of Bluegreen Fusion.
Tufte will take on the role of CEO of Bluegreen Group, and will be closely involved in projects, customers, and the development of Marine Donut.
“We could not have found a better person than Stian to lead Bluegreen Fusion forward,” said Tufte. “He combines solid technological understanding with in-depth knowledge of aquaculture technology, including RAS facilities, sludge treatment and water purification, from his work at Sterner AS.
“At the same time, he has experience from demanding transformation processes and international markets.”
The appointment comes at a time when Norway’s framework conditions for closed aquaculture solutions are changing. Regulations adopted in October allow farmers to use the percentage of their maximum allowed biomass that has previously been suspended in areas with high lice pressure, with the proviso that they use closed containment for that restored proportion of MAB.
Marine Donut – said to be the world’s largest floating closed fish farming facility – has already run 2.5 generations of fish in what are effectively pilot models, with operators reporting very strong biological and production results.
“We are delighted that, after a long period of political standstill and waiting for an aquaculture white paper, we are finally seeing concrete negotiations under way,” said Geir Andresen, partner and sales and marketing director at Bluegreen.
“We are in contact with several Norwegian fish farming companies and are preparing for serial production of Marine Donut in new and improved versions.”
Elg Ragnar Thunes, partner at Bluegreen and the company’s head of HR, said: “At this stage, it is also right to renew the management team somewhat and bring in new expertise with experience from similar situations. It became clear early in the recruitment process, which we carried out together with recruitment company BlueIQ, that Stian Johnsen was an exceptionally strong candidate – it was a perfect match.”
Bluegreen said Johnsen has been responsible for, among other things, aquaculture technology, recirculating aquaculture system facilities, sludge treatment and water purification for the aquaculture industry at Sterner. Under his leadership, the company has been turned around from several years of significant losses to an expected profit in 2025.
I believe closed systems will play a key role in the sustainable aquaculture of the future.
“Aquaculture technology is among the most complex engineering disciplines that exist,” said Johnsen, who has a master’s degree in process and chemical process technology, as well as a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and energy engineering.
“I believe closed systems will play a key role in the sustainable aquaculture of the future. Through my years in the industry, I have gained deep insight into RAS technology, sludge treatment and water quality – experience I will bring with me into Bluegreen Fusion. Marine Donut is one of the most exciting innovations in the sector, and I look forward to contributing to taking this solution to industrial scale.”
Bluegreen said it has enjoyed a strong collaboration with Sterner for several years, both as a customer and as a supplier.
Tufte concluded: “The past few years have been demanding for the entire technology segment in the aquaculture industry – with the pandemic, increased taxation and political uncertainty. But Bluegreen has stood firm through deliveries to FishGlobe (another closed containment system) and land-based industry.
“Now the time is finally ripe for growth. Norway needs closed aquaculture solutions more than ever, and this is what Stian and all of us at Bluegreen are going to deliver together.”
