The Norwegian Fisheries Directorate granted Mowi two development licenses of the eight it had applied for, for the construction of its "Donut" concept, it said on Friday.

Mowi got permits to farm 1,100 metric tons of salmon, the maximum allowed, for a period of up to seven years.

The Donut concept consists of a closed farming system, shaped like a doughnut and made of high density polyethylene ( HDPE ) material that should act as a barrier against the external environment to protect the fish from the impact of environmental conditions.