Andfjord Salmon has released an operational update today in which it reported that both growth rate and survival rate continue to be strong for salmon in its first pool in Andøya, Norway. "As of 16 of February 2023, the average weight of the salmon in Andfjord Salmon's first pool has reached 1,850 grams", the release states. Almost eight months after smolt release, the survival rate also remains high at 98.3 percent.
These good results are in line with those achieved by Andfjord Salmon since the smolts were released last June. At that time, they weighed 120 grams. At the beginning of November, they weighed 1 kilogram and by the end of November, the average weight of the salmon was already 1,350 grams. The survival rate as of November 30 was 98.7%.
Back in the Q3 2022 results presentation, Andfjord Salmon already highlighted that fish health, growth, and survival rate are all interconnected. "The foundation is strong biological conditions and a pool eco system that is as close as possible to the salmon's natural habitat in the ocean outside Andøya", said then Martin Rasmussen, CEO of Andfjord Salmon. In today's operational update, the company reports that the biological conditions of the first six months in the pool have been documented by the independent research body Nofima, a food research institute that conducts research and development for the aquaculture industry.
Nofima's report concludes that "overall, the welfare of fish in the system for the first six months of the documentation project has been good in relation to e.g., the Laksvel scoring scheme for input and outcome-based indicators for salmon". Besides, Åkerblå, leader in knowledge-based marine health company, has been responsible for the examination and documentation of fish health and their findings also state that fish health has been good.
As far as fish growth is concerned, Nofima claims that "The growth has been higher throughout the period than that indicated for fish in this weight and temperature range (4 to 14°C) by reference growth tables. It is also in the upper range of values reported in several previous studies, overall".
Andfjord Salmon is very pleased with the results of the report. "We are delighted that the report shows that we have managed to create a fish-friendly environment for the salmon, which translates to healthy growth and high survival rate. Our ambition is that consumers should be able to taste that the salmon has lived a good life in our pool", says its CEO, Martin Rasmussen.
In the documentation report, Nofima has investigated a large number of operational indicators of salmon welfare, including water quality and the physical environment of the salmon, fish behavior, and an audit of other fish health parameters is currently underway.
The company announces it will provide more information on the key findings of the Nofima report when the company reports its fourth quarter and full-year 202 financial results in a month, on March 16, 2023.
Andfjord Salmon has the ambition to build the most sustainable and fish-friendly aquaculture facility in the world. To achieve this, the company has developed an innovative and sustainable aquaculture concept for land-based farming of Atlantic salmon, based on a continuous flow technology solution. Its first facility is located in Kvalnes on the island of Andøya in the Arctic archipelago of Vesterålen, Norway, but Andfjord Salmon already has approval from the municipality of Andøy to develop and build another land-based fish farming facility in Breivik, also on Andøya. The company is listed on Euronext Growth under the symbol ANDF.
