Introduction
Norway is a leading producer of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) on a global scale. However, growth in production in conventional sea-based fish farming is curbed by challenges such as salmon lice and escape of fish. The industry is eager to innovate to solve these challenges. Policies to develop new concepts for aquaculture has also been initiated by the government (Føre et al. 2022). Currently, the Norwegian salmon aquaculture industry is characterized by rapid development, establishment and operation of new production systems including land-based, floating closed and semi-closed and open ocean aquaculture systems.
Regulation and localisation of new production systems requires knowledge about the systems. Applying a comparative perspective, the objective of this study is to provide knowledge of industry actors perceptions of challenges and opportunities related to new aquaculture production systems in Norway. This knowledge is valuable for a sustainable development and regulation of the industry.
The project "Compareit" is financed by the Research Council of Norway (grant number 319647). It is a collaborative project to meet societal and industry-related challenges conducted in close collaboration with key industry actors in the Norwegian aquaculture industry.
Materials and methods
To explore perceptions of industry actors, interviews, workshops, and document studies have been key methods. Interviews and workshops related to the following research questions: What are considered key challenges and opportunities within each production system? What are considered key challenges related to regulation of new concepts?
Results
For all new systems, the opportunity of production growth is seen as a key motivation. For the different systems, certain aspects are highlighted to obtain this in a sustainable manner. Land-based systems are designed to increase bio security (less patogens and contamination), and farmers aim to collect and utilize the organic material to create circular economy. Still, the industry required to process waste needs to be established to reach this ambition. Looking at challenges, disinfection of the water and formation of hydrogen sulphide are mentioned. The technology is considered complex, and energy use is potentially high.
Semi-closed and closed systems in the sea also require more energy than conventional sea-based fish farms to pump water into the systems, but these systems allow for using areas that are not suitable for conventional open net pens that are more sheltered in fjords etc. Furthermore, the opportunity to prevent sea lice and escapes are important drivers for this technology.
For open ocean aquaculture systems, key opportunities include utilizing new areas, better water quality, stable temperatures, and water exchange. Industry actors state that there is a need to acquire more knowledge about the challenges related to fish health and welfare in open ocean locations.
For new production systems, regulators must handle new issues and industry actors express that some of the processes are time-consuming and unpredictable. In the case of open ocean aquaculture for instance, the areas in question fall outside the responsibility of the municipalities, and the government are currently working on a new regulatory regime that aims to facilitate for production in new areas.
Conclusion
This study shows that both opportunities and challenges exist in different production systems for Atlantic Salmon in Norway. What the industry may look in the future depends on solving these challenges and establishing regulation that contributes to sustainable production for all production systems.
Literature
Føre, HM., Thorvaldsen, T., Osmundsen, TC., Asche, F., Tveterås, R., Fagertun, JT., Bjelland, HV. (2022) Technological innovations promoting sustainable salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture in Norway, Aquaculture Reports 24