Israel-based aquaculture equipment supplier AquaMaof is charging ahead with the construction of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) salmon project in Russia's northwest Vologda region.

Russian salmon firm Aquaproduct inked a deal with AquaMaof for its €27 million ($30 million) land-based salmon project and is planning for the first stocking later in 2020.

AquaMaof's expansion plans were not held back by the coronavirus, AquaMaof VP Marketing & Sales Shai Silbermann told IntraFish.

"Throughout the pandemic we have recruited several new employees and are continuing with our recruitment efforts," Silbermann said.

"The COVID-19 situation has increased interest in our RAS technology as an enabler of local, bio-secured and controlled production of fish and shellfish."

Aquaproduct officially kicked off construction of the Atlantic salmon farming facility last July.

The new RAS facility will have a capacity to produce 70,000 salmon fry a month and 2,500 metric tons of farmed salmon per year without the use of antibiotics and hormones.

AquaMaof has been receiving good responses from customers on the color, taste and texture of the salmon produced in the research and development center in Poland, Silbermann told IntraFish.

AquaMaof officially began designing 8F-backed Pure Salmon's Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France land-based salmon farming facility on April.

Aquaculture

Russia's first land-based salmon farm preparing to stock fish