Icelandic firm Matorka harvested the first fish from its newly constructed land-based Arctic charr and Atlantic salmon farm last week, Arni Pall Einarsson, CEO at the company, told IntraFish.

The first Arctic charr fingerlings were put into the tanks in May this year at a size of around 500 grams, and 2 metric tons of the fish was harvested at a size of around 1 to 1.5 kilograms in mid-August.

"It's a very quick production cycle; the growth is even better than anticipated," Einarsson said. Beginning next week, the company will harvest around 3 metric tons weekly.

The fish was sold to Icelandic exporters and US importers, he said.

Matorka was founded by three Icelandic industry veterans back in 2010.

After raising more than $5.5 million (€4.9 million) in equity last summer -- with aquaculture investment fund Aqua Spark as the lead investor -- the company kicked off construction of its new Arctic charr and Atlantic salmon farm in last September.

In the first phase, the facility has a production capacity of 1,500 metric tons, mainly Arctic charr, and an expansion is planned in a second phase with production expected to reach 3,000 metric tons.

The first Atlantic salmon fingerlings will be put into tanks at the partial recirculation aquaculture system (PRAS) facility in late September, and with a production cycle of about 12-14 months. The company earmarked the first harvest for fall next year.

Construction on the second phase will kick off in the first quarter of 2018, and is expected to be finalized in the third quarter.

The first harvest from the expanded facility -- which will bring the overall capacity from the currently 1,500 to 3,000 metric tons -- is expected for early 2019.

Matorka also set up its own processing facility in Grindavik, where it produces fillets from the fish.

"We renovated an existing facility," Einarsson said. "We're now more vertically integrated" from fingerling production to grow-out to processing.

Demand for Arctic charr is strong, especially in the United States, but also Europe, he said.

"It's becoming a very popular fish in the United States. It's a sustainable, land-based alternative to sea cage farmed salmon," he said.

Arctic charr has the 'Best Choice' rating from the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, so "seafood buyers are very much aware of its sustainability and environmental appeal."

Matorka is also currently in the process to obtain Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification for its farm.

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