Producer behind Salma salmon invests in new onshore tanks
April 15, 2014, 8:06 am
Undercurrent News
The Norwegian producer behind the Salma salmon brand is investing in two new onshore tanks which it plans to use for the final phase of the salmon’s growth, reported the Norwegian news website iLaks.no.
Bremnes Seashore will start using the so-called ‘waiting tanks’ in the summer, said iLaks. The tanks are called this way as they are used to keep the salmon in the final phase before it gets slaughtered.
The move is part of a NOK 250 million (€30m/$42m) upgrade of Bremnes Seashore’s processing site in Kvednavikjo in Bomlo (southwestern Norway), where Bremnes in based, said iLaks.
Bremnes Seashore is mainly known for its range of Salma-branded salmon, sold as sashimi-quality packs in retail (pictured above).
Each 850-cubic meter tank can hold some 170 metric tons of salmon. The company will start using the first as a trial, exposing any potential teething problems, before starting to build the second tank, said the company’s vice managing director Bjorn Willy Saeverud.
At full capacity, the plant in Kvednavikjo can slaughter 300t of salmon in a day.
That represents 17 trucks which primarily head towards continental Europe — the EU takes in close to 80% of all salmon produced by Bremnes a year, writes Bomlo-nytt.
The pilot site is reportedly the first of its kind in Norway. The advantages on being onshore are many, said Saeverud. The fish are kept in stable conditions throughout the year, avoiding changes in temperature, currents or water quality, and optimizing oxygen supply. Stress is also minimized when moving the fish to and from the tanks by making it float in and out.
Waste is also minimized. Water and fish are controlled, and the risk of contagious disease spreading, or problems with lice and escapes, are reduced, said Saeverud.
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