New regulations will open business opportunities in Norwegian aquaculture

The aquaculture industry has eagerly awaited the Government’s new aquaculture policy, “Havbruksmeldingen”. When Minister for Fisheries and Ocean, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, revealed the proposal, it came with rather great changes.

You can download Stortingsmelding 24 here.

Full house as Minister for Fisheries and Ocean Marianne Sivertsen Næss published Havbruksmeldingen in Bergen. 

- We need to modernize the Norwegian aquaculture industry. Improved fish welfare and improved environmental impact is important to secure the future for this industry. Stricter requirements are necessary to achieve this, stated Sivertsen Næss.

Replacing the traffic light system

The traffic light system is an important instrument in regulating production based on the environmental status of a production area, where the production capacity is reduced in areas with unacceptable environmental impact, with red areas in the traffic light system.

The most important change is the proposal to replace the current traffic light system and maximum allowable biomass (MTB) arrangement or salmon with lice quotas and mortality fines. In theory this will allow unlimited production for salmon producers who manage to stay within the confines of lice quotas.

Technology-neutral framework

With the aim of achieving greater value creation, sustainability and improved biosecurity, the minister emphasized that the government want a technology-neutral framework and would like to incentivizing the use of new and environmentally friendly technology.

As closed production systems in sea and RAS facilities remove lice from the environment, the proposed lice quota would incentivize closed systems.

The government also plans to fine for mortality and escaped fish but details on implementation remains to be explored. This will lead to an increased demand for solutions to solve the industrial challenges.

There’s still a way to go before the aquaculture policy is politically approved, and the proposal is unlikely to pass exactly as presented. Both the left and right political blocs in Parliament have reservations. Broad political consensus and industry cooperation will be essential.  

Greater Bergen is a aqauculture hub 

Atlantic salmon is the most common farmed species in Norwegian aquaculture and also the species generating the most value in the aquacuture industry. Norwegian aquaculture is valued at over NOK 130 billion annually, mainly from salmon and trout. The fish is exported to more than 150 countries.   

The largest aquaculture companies have their HQs in Bergen. Further the seafood ecosystem in Greater Bergen consists of world-class research institutions, a diverse aquaculture sector, and seafood clusters, making it uniquely positioned to capitalize on these opportunities. Companies in Bergen can leverage collaboration with organizations like the cluster organization NCE Seafood Innovation, the ocean incubator 70Blå and research institution Havforskningsinstituttet to bring innovative solutions to the global market.  

The political adoption of the alternatives in Havbruksmeldingen is yet to be seen. Broad political consensus and cooperation with the industry are key to address sustainability issues and reduce mortality.  Important players in the industry, like Eide Fjordbruk, is working hard to modernize the aquaculture business, and are a vital part of the Vestland ecosystem. Photo. Charlotte Hartvigsen Lem. 

A great example of a collaboration is AquaCloud - a big data project anchored in the industry’s need to solve common challenges in order to achieve sustainable growth. It has transformed from being a pure sea louse forecasting asset to become a hub of industry activities including companies from multiple sectors in the industry.

Don’t hesitate to contact any of our advisors if you would like to be introduced into this ecosystem.