May 1, 2014

 

A contract worth NOK14.5 million (US$2.4 million) has been signed between Cermaq Norway and AKVA group for delivery of Polarcirkel EcoNets and plastic cages for a complete salmon farm in Northern Norway.

The delivery will be in the second/third quarter of this year. The companies have cooperated in testing and further development of the EcoNet concept since early 2012 when the first 120m circumference net was installed at Cermaq in Steigen, Northern Norway. It is the good production results from this testing that now have resulted in using EcoNet in full scale. The nets in this new complete salmon farm will be 160m circumference (51m diameter) and 34m deep.
 
Snorre Jonassen, Director at Cermaq Norway AS, confirms the good productions results from the EcoNet testing. "We transferred 1,5kg salmon into the EcoNet cage in June 2012 and harvested 6,5kg salmon 7 months later, with a biological FCR (Feed Conversion Rate) of 1,09 and Economical FCR of 1,10."

Trond Severinsen, chief operating officer for export at AKVA group ASA, has been in charge of the company's EcoNet concept since 2009. "EcoNet is made of PET monofilament that has a very hard and smooth surface. This results in very low water resistance (drag) due to low "total wetted surface area" compared to multifilament (fibre net). Smooth surface also makes net washing in the sea very efficient. EcoNet offers our customers a good opportunity to reduce the risk of fish escapes by using this new net technology also for salmon farming."