October 29, 2013

Norwegian aquaculture firms to cooperate on salmon, cod farm technology

Norway's AquaOptima and Lim Shrimp Organisation (LSO) will participate in a joint venture to farm Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in China.

The joint venture will specifically be set up on the island of Hainan in China, reported LSO.

The project will see the construction of an integrated aquaculture centre, which will be operated by separated aquapreneurs. It will consist of several different units ranging from a demonstration farm to multiple grow-out units.

Aside from the responsibility of selling fish to the market, the firm is to supply fry and feed to producers.

An integral part of the project will be the appropriate training of the aquapreneurs.

AquaOptima is a firm that has some 20 years of experience in design and supply of fish aquaculture farms based on land, which rely on a recirculation of water system (RAS). Through the signed agreement, the firm will provide some of its latest technology, expertise and farming experience to the project.

While LSO is a social enterprise developer which has been using aquaculture as a platform since the 1980s. Countries which have benefitted from its services are: Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Oman and Papua New Guinea, among others.

The joint venture will count with the support of the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima), SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture, the University of Bergen (through the Department for Fish Disease Research) and the Norwegian University of Life Science.