Salmon Evolution hails successful first harvest

Salmon Evolution last night celebrated the successful completion of its first harvest from its new land-based facility in Indre Harøy, Norway.

Interim CEO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen described the occasion as an “historic milestone” for the business.

He said: “In just seven months we have grown our salmon from 300 grams to harvest weight, clearly demonstrating proof of concept as to our approach to land-based salmon farming.

“Salmon Evolution is all about creating optimal living conditions for the salmon, which in turn sets the basis for excellent biological performance and long-term profitability.”

The operation started on 3 November when about 30,000 salmon were transferred from Indre Harøy to Salmon Evolution’s nearby processing partner Vikenco, where the fish were kept in their holding cage over the weekend.

Salmon Evolution said the whole process went according to plan and minimal mortality was registered during the fish transfer process. The harvest will be spread over a couple of days and the first group was harvested yesterday.

“We are extremely excited to have completed our first harvest which will give us valuable insight into how we operate our facility,” Schaug-Pettersen added.

Ingjarl Skarvøy, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Although batch 1 already has been a major success, we are confident that as we learn more and more, we will be able to continuously improve our operations and maximize the output from the farm while at the same time upholding the highest quality standards.”

The company said the salmon from this harvest has been sold to a selected group of customers both in Norway and abroad, providing them with the opportunity to test the product and verify the quality ahead of the Company’s planned ramp-up in harvest volumes over the coming quarters.

Odd Frode Roaldsnes, Chief Commercial Officer in Salmon Evolution, said: “Finally we have the opportunity to share our salmon with the market.

“We are experiencing strong interest in our product and very much look forward to work alongside our customers and partners in promoting a new standard of salmon with no compromises on water quality, fish welfare, environmental responsibility and product quality.”

The rest of batch 1 is planned to be harvested during the fourth quarter.

Interim CEO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen, Salmon Evolution