After a lot of work on new technologies, salmon farming giant Mowi has sold its novel concepts and permits to focus on existing technology.
Mowi came up with the "Egg" and the "Donut" salmon farming concepts in 2015 and 2019, respectively, but recently decided it would work on other R&D projects instead, including post-smolt.
"It was difficult for us to continue the development, and Mowi had to prioritize existing technology," Eivind Naevdal-Bolstad, Mowi's communications manager, told IntraFish.
This form of production is financially sustainable, he said.
"We see clear benefits by reducing the time for smolts in traditional open cages, and in particular we reduce the risk of early lice infestation," Naevdal-Bolstad said.
The Egg and the Donut
The Egg” is the world’s first floating fully closed-containment system for producing salmon. The system represents a potential solution to the major problems facing the salmon farming industry, including sea lice, escapes, organic sludge and efficient use of farming areas.
"The Egg" stands at 21 meters tall, is 15 meters wide and will hold 100,000 salmon when it enters full production this summer in Romsdalsfjord, near Molde in northwest Norway.
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.
Akvakulturpartner has bought the commitment on the six development permits for the Egg while Bluegreen Investments has bought the commitments for the Donut.
The concepts were sold for NOK 253 million (€24 million/$25 million) in total.
