June 2, 2008

Norway's Skretting takes sea-based research onto land

Norwegian fish producer Skretting is spending EUR 2.8 million to upgrade its research facility in Lerang, Norway.

Research activities for Skretting are conducted through the research organization Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) in Stavanger, Norway.

Improvements include the installation of 42 saltwater tanks to accommodate ongrowing fish up to market size, on land.

This means there are no longer any trials in conventional net pens in the fjord where Lerang is based.

Wout Dekker, the CEO of the Skretting parent company Nutreco, said Skretting and Nutreco utilize the findings generated at Lerang worldwide.

The annual R&D budget of Skretting ARC is EUR 9 million. Activities are co-ordinated from Norway and the research results are implemented by Skretting companies around the world.

In addition to the Lerang fish trials station, Skretting ARC runs a feed technology plant and a large, advanced laboratory.

The upgrade makes the Lerang fish trials station totally land based, even when conducting seawater trials. Research in land-based tanks offers greater options to control conditions such as temperature. Raising the fish in tanks also eliminates external threats such as lice and predators.