Andfjord Salmon doubles its bubbles
The land-based fish farmer will use nanobubble technology in its next two pools after positive results in production runs
Land-based fish farmer Andfjord Salmon has chosen to continue its partnership with nanobubble expert Moleaer after successful use of the American company’s technology in two production pools at its flow-through facility at Kvalnes on the island of Andøya, northern Norway.
Moleaer’s nanobubble generators are integrated into the technical infrastructure supplied by Norwegian company Cflow for production pools K1 and K3. As Andfjord Salmon prepares to bring K2 and K4 into production, the technology will also be incorporated into these pools.
Once K2 and K4 are in use, the facility will have an annual production capacity of around 11,000 tonnes (head-on gutted) and post-smolts. A further eight pools are plannned.
An important component
“Good water quality is achieved through the overall system design. Moleaer’s technology is an important part of the solution we have developed together with Andfjord Salmon, and its inclusion in the next phase of development confirms the value of the integrated approach we have taken,” said Kjetil Osborg, project manager at Cflow, in a press release.
Inge Haarberg, business development manager for aquaculture at Moleaer's Norway office, said: “The best proof of a solution’s effectiveness is when a customer chooses it again. Andfjord Salmon has been a forward-thinking, knowledge-driven partner, and we are proud to contribute to the continued development of the company’s production concept.”
Around 750,000 smolts with an average weight of 160 grams were stocked into pool K1 in early November last year. Approximately 450,000 of the K1 fish were transferred to net pen farmer Eidsfjord Sjøfarm as large post-smolts with an average weight of 1.2 kilos in June this year. The fish that remained in K1 are being grown to harvest weight.
Pool K3 was stocked with 550,000 smolts with an average weight of around 110–120 grams in May this year. These were transferred to Eidsfjord as post-smolts with an average weight of above 700 grams earlier this month.
Industry-leading survival
Andfjord Salmon has reported strong biological performance, industry-leading survival rates, and solid growth throughout the current production cycle in the pools.
“Our focus is on building a production system that supports fish welfare, stable biological conditions, and efficient resource utilisation. Our experience so far shows that Moleaer’s technology contributes positively to oxygen management and operational stability,” said Andfjord’s chief operating officer Christian Torgersen.
Last week Andfjord Salmon harvested approximately 120,000 salmon grown in its original proof-of-concept pool, K0. The fish had an average live weight of 3.6 kilos per fish, equivalent to 3.1kg HOG (head-on gutted). At the time of the harvest, Andfjord had achieved a survival rate of 97.95% in K0.
The remaining salmon in pool K0 will be harvested in two separate batches, most likely in the current quarter and Q1 2027, at higher average weights. The remaining standing biomass in pool K0 is currently around 800 tonnes (live weight).
