Andfjord Salmon completes smolt release in a ‘significant scale-up’

Andfjord Salmon has completed a successful smolt release at its land-based aquaculture facility at Kvalnes, Andøy, Norway.

The smolt release, on September 30, marks a significant scale-up of fish farming operations at Kvalnes, said the company in a press release.

Approximately 350,000 smolt, at an average weight of around 180 grams, were released into one of the pools at Kvalnes.

Biological conditions

The smolt release went as planned and the fish have quickly adapted to their new surroundings, with good biological conditions, said Andfjord.

“We have been looking forward to this day for quite some time,” said Andfjord CEO Martin Rasmussen.

“Our team of fish farming experts is excited about starting a new period of fish farming operations and eager to once again demonstrate the biological benefits of our proprietary flow-through system. I am proud of how meticulously they have planned and safely executed this smolt release.”

Andfjord Salmon plans to release approximately 750,000 smolt in another of its pools in late October.

New chapter

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Andfjord Salmon, with fish farming operations once again taking centre stage,’ said Rasmussen.

“The current and upcoming smolt releases represent the launch of a significant scale-up of salmon farming activities at Kvalnes.”

Since its previous production cycle that ended in June 2023, Andfjord Salmon has been working on developing new pools, a harbour area, and waterways that can handle large-scale production.

The site infrastructure is designed to support future production of approximately 48,100 tonnes (HOG plus post-smolt) at Kvalnes.