– We are going to start producing something that is not quite common at smelters. We are going into the salmon industry, says Geir-Henning Wintervoll. He is the managing director of Finnfjord AS and on Monday morning presented the smelter’s new venture in Finnfjordbotn in Senja municipality. Together with UiT – Norway’s Arctic University and the food research institute Nofima, they have been working for several years to develop a new fish feed, made from algae. The feed can make salmon up to 50 percent “resistant” to salmon lice. Geir-Henning Wintervoll, managing director of Finnfjord Smelteverk Photo: Pål Hansen / news Have developed a defense against lice – Something happens to fish health when we put back what the salmon would naturally eat in the salmon feed, explains Gunilla Eriksen, chief engineer for the project and marine biologist at UiT. The hypothesis is that the salmon become more resistant when they eat feed made from the microalgae. In nature, salmon lice are the microalgae’s only enemy. Therefore, the algae have developed a defense mechanism. When the louse eats them, they will collectively secrete signaling substances that make the louse stay away. Gunilla Eriksen is chief engineer for the project and a marine biologist at UiT – Norway’s Arctic University. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news These signaling substances also give the salmon that eat the microalgae a protective mechanism against salmon lice. Eriksen and colleagues have made attempts to test the hypothesis, and the results are so far encouraging. On salmon that received algae feed, there were half as many lice as on salmon that did not receive it. Algae that eat CO₂ can limit emissions from the Finnfjord AS smelter in Senja municipality in Troms. Photo: Malvin Eriksen / news – This had been the dream. It would have made our job so much easier, says Roy Alapnes, general manager of the farming company Br. Karlsen Farming. The company he leads is among those who will be able to benefit greatly from the innovation. In other words, Alapnes is looking forward to a future with the new fish feed. – First of all, it can mean much better fish health, and it is the alpha and omega for the production of salmon in Norway. Alapnes points out that the industry as a whole must become better at handling salmon lice. It doesn’t just mean treating fish that have already become ill. – Now more people are also starting to see that prevention against lice has something to do with it. Roy Alapnes, general manager Br. Karlsen Farming. Photo: Pål Hansen / news – Didn’t think it was possible At the same time, algae cultivation solves another, big problem for Troms county’s largest emission point of greenhouse gases. When Finnfjord AS produces ferrosilicon, huge amounts of greenhouse gases are released in the process: mainly CO₂, NOX and sulphur. These gases are cleaned before being added to water inside a huge tank. And in there the algae grows. It is these that will in the next round become fish feed. Every year, the smelter emits around 300,000 tonnes of CO₂. That number must go down. Photo: Pål Hansen / news In this way, the same amount of greenhouse gases is used for not just one, but two, purposes, and the total emission is reduced. – You have never before received feed from a melting furnace like that, I can promise you that, says Wintervoll in Finnfjord AS, and adds: – I didn’t really think it was possible. The ocean absorbs 25 percent of the CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere, but what happens to the greenhouse gas when it is eaten by the animals in the ocean? Read and become wiser here. Lack of treatment plant This is currently being done on a small scale at the smelter in Finnfjordbotn, as part of the research project. If you are going to operate on a large scale, a new purification plant will be needed at the smelter. – We see that the government has ambitions, and that is good. But if we look at what they are actually doing, they need to pick up some speed, says the smelter manager. Wintervoll believes that they can potentially reuse half of the greenhouse gases in this way. The smelter currently accounts for approximately half of the county’s emissions of CO₂. – We release 300,000 tonnes of CO₂. If we are to have a place in the future as well, we must have a plan to become CO₂ neutral, says Wintervoll. He points out that environmental awareness is becoming increasingly strong in Norway, and that this has implications for operations in Finnfjordbotn. – We must operate in a way that gives good reasons why this should be done here in Norway. Then technology and process development is a key. Finnfjord AS primarily produces ferrosilicon. Now they also contribute to salmon feed production. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news – The aquaculture industry depends on people’s trust. Trust is easy to break down, but difficult to rebuild, writes the fisheries minister. Read her post here. – Very good news Director of Fisheries in the Directorate of Fisheries Frank Bakke-Jensen believes the project is extremely exciting. – This is world-class knowledge production and research. We have to assume that there are some scumbags out there, but many have done a lot right when you combine several industries and our university sector in this way. Frank Bakke-Jensen, director Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news – Surely this must be a big step forward if it can lead to a dramatic decrease in lice? – Yes, that is very good news. Now this will be tested on a large scale, so we’ll see if the results are just as good then. The industry is making significant progress, even if the challenges are sometimes great.
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Get rid of both salmon lice and greenhouse gases with new fish feed – news Troms and Finnmark
