AquaGen Pronfunda's inauguration of a new full-cycle facility in Barstadvik, Ørsta, marks a significant milestone as it launches the first land-based full-cycle egg and broodstock production facility in Norway.
On Monday, August 21, AquaGen initiated its mission to deliver high-quality, biosecure salmon eggs year-round at the Profunda facility.
This installation promises to maintain optimal conditions due to its complete cycle characteristics.
Hence, these facilities consider many of the variables crucial for the fish. Being full-cycle, they produce salmon eggs, ensuring meticulous monitoring of the fish's progress. Additionally, their terrestrial nature, physically separated from the environment, ensures biosafety and ideal production conditions.
Other of their main AquaGen's Profunda facility characteristic has been its clean water. These waters come from underground and through the valley, from the fjords. Concretly, from the Storelva River.
Over thousands of years, the Storelva River at Barstadvik has distributed glacial deposits formed during the last ice age, thus creating the basis for clean and pure groundwater.
Nevertheless, this project has been a long time in preparation to guarantee results. In 2017, AquaGen acquired Profunda, a facility that was then engaged in the production of broodstock salmon for external clients.
The following year, in 2018, the facility was expanded with a tank volume of 2000 m 3 to expand breeder capacity, and it would not be until two years later that work began to convert Profunda into a full-cycle land-based facility for egg production.
A long road that was indispensable to have a comprehensive process, which also includes the installation of subway fresh water wells.
In May 2023, Profunda distributed the initial egg batch, and they have subsequently delivered these eggs throughout both Norway and the United States. Although, Profunda's plan extends to providing eggs for production in marine and terrestrial environments, with a focus on prioritizing the export market once they obtain the necessary authorizations for global egg exports.
To do so, the facility must have World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) specified pathogen-free segment status. A two-year surveillance period is necessary, and this means the plan cannot effectively start implementation until March 2025.
Therefore, Profunda is steadily progressing toward its goal, albeit at a measured pace. This progress will further solidify AquaGen's position as a top supplier of premium salmon genetics in the global market, providing specific pathogen-free eggs throughout the year.
AquaGen AS operates cutting-edge broodstock production facilities in Norway, Scotland, and Chile. The company supplying eggs to global farmers who cultivate them into nutritious food fish, providing millions of healthy meals daily. AquaGen AS commits to preserving the Norwegian code and breeding programs for salmon and trout while embracing pride and responsibility. For that reason is a research-oriented breeding firm, specializes in developing, producing, and distributing genetic materials and eggs. Their main mission is advancing the global aquaculture sector.
