Dean Trethewey has been appointed Managing Director of Akvafuture, the company confirmed to WeAreAquaculture. Akvafuture is a smaller salmon farmer and technology company from the Arctic Circle in Norway.
Dean shares our vision of developing an already sustainable food production together with competent people and technology. He will lead our expansion into the Pacific Ocean. I am pleased that we have found such an experienced local addition to the team in this phase of our development, CEO Thomas Myrholt told us.
Akvafuture has produced nearly 30,000 tonnes in closed systems completely without sea lice. Along with extra barriers against escapes and collection of sludge for the production of bioenergy and organic fertilizer.
According to the company, it has developed its own patented closed-production technology in the sea for salmon farming over the last 12 years. It operates three sites with a total of 30 Akvapods in Norway.
We have monitored the political debate and forward-thinking. Regarding the environmental footprint of the aquaculture sector in Canada and British Columbia in particular. To our knowledge we are the only ones doing large-scale salmon farming in closed cages in the sea at this point, he added.
We want to bring that experience and technology to B.C. and expand our environmentally friendly production. We seek to work with First Nations, regulators, local industry, and stakeholders to get Akvapods running as part of the local production strategy.
Finally, while visiting Vancouver Island in September to research the possibilities for our technology in B.C. we met Dean Trethewey. He impressed us with his in-depth knowledge of the local industry built upon decades of experience in aquaculture.