A fillet from a fish harvested for sampling from Salmon Evolution's on-land facility. Photo: Salmon Evolution.

Salmon Evolution gives investors a taste of things to come

Some of the first salmon produced at Salmon Evolution’s on-land fish farm on Indre Harøy (Harøy Island) in Norway will be served to those attending a presentation of the company’s results for the second quarter of 2022 at a hotel in Oslo on Thursday.

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Salmon Evolution made its first stocking of 300g smolts in late March and has reported good growth. At the end of June, the average fish weight was estimated to be around 1.5 kg, with observed individuals well above 2 kg.

“Over the last weeks the Company has also taken out samples for extensive quality testing,” Salmon Evolution said at the beginning of July.

“The test results have been very positive, confirming good fish health and filet quality, firm meat texture, nice and consistent red meat colour and excellent salmon taste. Additionally, no issues with early maturation have been observed.”

Hybrid flow-through

Harvesting of the first batch of smolts is planned for the final quarter of 2022.

A second batch of 230,000 smolts with an average weight of 125g was stocked at Indre Harøy in mid-July.

Salmon Evolution is using a hybrid flow-through system (HFS) delivered by Artec Aqua to achieve a water economy with about 65% reuse and 35% new supply in the form of filtered fresh seawater.

The company says this is simpler than a conventional recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and ensures controlled and optimal growth conditions, eliminates the risk of parasites, and limits the threat of infection.

31,600 gwt per year

The fish farmer plans to produce 31,600 gutted weight tonnes of salmon a year at the facility, which is being built in three phases: two of 7,900 gwt and a third of 15,800 gwt.

Salmon Evolution and South Korean seafood heavyweight Dongwon Enterprises have also formed a joint venture – K-Smart Farming – to build a 16,800 gwt HSF salmon farm in Korea. Salmon Evolution is also actively seeking opportunities for on-land salmon farming in the United States or Canada.