Grieg confident new post smolt unit will bring results

Grieg Seafood has said its plan to invest millions of kroner in a new post-smolt unit in Norway’s Finnmark region will lead to an improvement in fish health and welfare.

The company has now published more details about the new land-based facility, which is estimated to cost around NOK 1.1bn (£82m). It will produce 300 tonnes of post-smolt starting in 2026.

Grieg CEO Andreas Kvame explained: “Post-smolt improves survival, fish health and welfare as well as sea lice control, according to Grieg Seafood’s experience from Rogaland.”

“We are working across the board to improve fish heath, welfare and biological control. Post-smolt is an important tool to advance these objectives.”

He added: “Our aim is to find the right balance between land-based and ocean-based farming, and ultimately achieve sustainable growth.”

The post-smolt approach means that a larger part of the production cycle takes place on land or in closed containment facilities, reducing the time the fish spend in the ocean farms.

This means the fish are less exposed to diseases, sea lice and other challenges in the ocean. Both fish welfare and sea lice control will improve.

Grieg Seafood has until now piloted post-smolt in its farming region in Rogaland.

The results so far, it says, are improved lice control and fewer lice treatments when post-smolt is combined with other preventive measures. Fish welfare and survival have increased in the post-smolt groups.

The new unit is an extension of Grieg Seafood’s existing smolt facility in rural Lebesby in Finnmark.

The construction will take two years. The first post-smolt from the new unit will be transferred to Grieg Seafood Finnmark’s ocean farms in 2026.