Great Northern Salmon nets experienced hatchery chief
Kevin Kelsey has spent decades in land-based aquaculture for farmed and wild sectors
Land-based fish farmer Great Northern Salmon (GNS) is continuing to add to its staff as it prepares to build a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility at Millinocket in the northeast US state of Maine.
Kevin Kelsey has been associated with GNS since its early days in 2022, and is now coming on board full-time to head up its early life stage operations, the company said in a post on LinkedIn.
Kelsey has managed Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s hatcheries since the late 1990s. Before that, he was involved in salmon industry activities for Atlantic Aqua Farms / Penobscot Salmon Co. in Maine.
Hands-on experience
“His aquaculture experience spans decades of hands-on experience. He knows a thing or two about hatching eggs and raising fish. Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in Fisheries Management,” wrote GNS.
“Kevin is currently house hunting in Millinocket, where he has been looking forward to moving with his wife, Diana. Great Northern looks forward to finally welcoming you both to town this summer,” wrote GNS chief executive Marianne Naess.
GNS plans a facility with a capacity of 7,500 tonnes per year. Last month is announced that it had hired Mick Watts to lead construction planning and execution of the project.
Watts spent more than 11 years in Bjugn, Norway, and Kyleakin, Scotland, as an engineer and global project manager for salmon giant Mowi. His most recent role was as construction manager for striped bass farmer Pacifico Aquaculture in Mexico, and he has also worked with agribusiness Manildra Group Australia and has held several global roles at Continental Grain.
In April, GNS announced that it had entered a strategic partnership with Norwegian company Eyvi. The deal makes Eyvi the supplier of the RAS for the fish farm at Millinocket and future projects, while GNS will benefit from a significant strategic investment from Eyvi.
Eyvi’s experience includes the development of Hima’s 8,000-tonne trout farm in Rjukan, Norway, which is set for its first commercial harvest this summer.