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Photo: sjomatnorge.no
'A gigantic opportunity': Norway's first salmon offshore aquaculture licenses to be announced early next year
NORWAY
Monday, September 02, 2024, 00:10 (GMT + 9)
- Norwegian authorities will issue licenses for offshore marine farming in the first quarter of 2025, according to trade body Sjømat Norge (Seafood Norway).
- The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans' clear signal to announce licenses for offshore aquaculture in the first quarter of 2025 is met with great enthusiasm among the players in the aquaculture industry.
Photo: Utror
Sjømat Norge, together with a group of actors consisting of, among others, SalMar Aker Ocean, Viewpoint and Utror, has worked purposefully to realize the potential for aquaculture far out at sea over several years.
.png) - This is an important and correct step from the minister, says Ole Fretheim, Head of Aquaculture Technology at Seafood Norway.
- Aquaculture at sea represents a gigantic opportunity for Norway - not only to increase food production of sustainable proteins but also to secure Norway's position as a leading seafood nation in the future as well, says Fretheim.
Since the establishment of the Hurdals platform, the Støre government has had a stated goal of developing a separate licensing regime for farming at sea. It is therefore important that the first offshore concessions are now awarded so that the aquaculture nation Norway can continue to develop its globally leading position. With cutting-edge expertise in offshore, maritime and aquaculture, Norway is well-equipped to create a new industry at sea. The realization of aquaculture at sea will also be one of the contributions to increased food security in the future.
Start of aquaculture at sea
 The sea is the key to being able to produce more food and the areas at sea are a natural further development of the aquaculture industry. Salmon are created to be able to migrate far out to sea and many of the areas out there are very well suited for aquaculture. Of course, this must be done in a safe and responsible manner. The possibilities for holistic area thinking at sea with good biosecurity and fish welfare mean that there are high expectations for good welfare and low mortality.
- It is good to have the time of the competition confirmed, but now is when the real work starts. Aquaculture at sea represents a gigantic opportunity for the entire seafood industry and the supply chain. Now that opportunity must be seized properly, Fretheim emphasizes.
Fretheim assists members who want to establish themselves at sea. Until now, the companies have not known which time window they have had to deal with. Now that the time has been announced, it is perceived as an important signal.
- With a fixed timeline for offshore licenses, we are one step closer to the realization of a new industry. Norway has unique expertise in offshore and farming, and we are ready to take our share of the responsibility for increased food safety and more sustainable food for a growing world population. It is now important that the necessary requirements and guidelines are communicated quickly so that we can ensure a thorough and proper implementation of the pre-qualification and competition phase over the next year, states the stakeholder group.
Calls for requirements for pre-qualification
In advance of the competition, a pre-qualification of the players who will participate in the competition is planned. This is to ensure that only serious companies with sufficient expertise, as well as the resources to handle the challenges involved in farming at sea, are allowed to participate. The authorities' assessment of applications for pre-qualification must be completed in good time before the actual competition is carried out.
Photo: ViewPoint Seafarm
To be able to do a thorough job with such an application, sufficient preparation time is needed. However, the requirements for prequalification or technical regulations for the facilities are not known. It is also not known which framework for allocation will apply and therefore it is still impossible for the actors with the associated value chain and supplier industry to see the full scope of such an industrial realization at sea. It is therefore becoming urgent to communicate the requirements to those who are considering participating.
- We hope that the authorities will now quickly follow up with the necessary information so that the players can have time to work professionally with what they have to deliver ahead of prequalification and the competition itself, concludes the group of players.
Author/Source: Henrik Wiedswang Horjen/sjomatnorge.no
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media
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