– Over time, we have seen that the direction of the Norwegian farming industry has gone the wrong way. This is what the founder of SalMar, Gustav Witzøe, told news. – It applies to general fish health, fish welfare. We are seeing an increase in the death toll. We see an increase in feed factor over time. That is why they are now coming up with the new initiative. Witzøe believes that it is precarious to introduce now in order to “turn the tide” in the industry. – I guess we have been captured by the industry as such, by the possibilities not least, and then we have forgotten a little of the knowledge about the salmon along the way, he says. Today, many of Salmar’s farms look like this. This facility is located in Mefjord. Photo: SalMar Last year, SalMar received a fee of NOK 1.7 million after a series of unannounced inspection visits to salmon farming facilities along the Trøndelag coast. The cause was large quantities of dead and seriously ill fish in the cages. – The operative management in SalMar did their best at that time. But in hindsight it could certainly have been resolved in another way. – In what way then? – We could have taken out the fish earlier. The Salmon Living Lab The innovation center they now want to build will be called the Salmon Living Lab, and will bring together academia, investors and companies to achieve a more sustainable farming industry. Cargill is the first major company to join the collaboration. – This is to ensure that we can deliver more nutritious and healthy salmon to the world, said CEO Frode Arntsen when he opened the seminar on Wednesday morning. It was CEO Frode Arntsen who brought the news to the conference on Wednesday morning. Photo: Oskar Rennedal / news – We are currently looking for someone who can lease the initiative, and the starting fund is NOK 500 million. The salmon industry still has great potential, Arntsen believes. Nevertheless, growth must take place on salmon and nature’s terms. – As everyone knows, we face challenges when it comes to the salmon’s welfare. – We need more knowledge, and we must close the knowledge hole that we are leading today. Witzøe (h) was present in the assembly when the initiative was announced. Photo: Oskar Rennedal / news Second largest worldwide News of the innovation center came at a sustainability seminar during the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen on 6 March. SalMar is today the world’s second largest salmon producer, according to the company itself. The investment in Salmon Living Lab is approximately 6 percent of Salmar’s operating profit before interest in 2023. It farms along the coast of Norway, from Møre and Romsdal in the south to Troms and Finnmark in the north. The salmon is exported to 50 countries. SalMar salmon at the Vikenco salmon slaughterhouse. Photo: NTB They calculate that 277,500 tonnes of salmon will be picked up from the sea during 2024, it was announced at the conference. – There is a significant potential for growth in the Norwegian farming industry. – But do they think they will be allowed to grow, if they don’t do something about the problem? – No, it looks like that. Part of the solution to that is to have more knowledge about what kind of locations are right, what kind of salmon should be there, what size it is where you released the fish, and so on. Founder Witzøe was elected as chairman of the company in June 2022, and founded SalMar ASA in 1991. He is Norway’s sixth richest man, reports Kapital. The year before, it was his son, Gustav Magnar Witsøe (30), who was the richest in Norway.
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NOK 500 million for knowledge about the salmon industry – news Vestland
