The on-growing tanks are each 28 meters in diameter and 13 meters high, and contain up to 5,000 cubic meters of seawater.
Photo: LAXEY.
Icelandic land-based farmer LAXEY announced a key step towards establishing large-scale, long-term production by transferring its first salmon to grow-out tanks. With this transfer of the first batch from the post-smolt facility to the on-growing tanks, the company completes the first of its six-phase development plan.
LAXEY's project, characterized by its environmentally friendly farming methods, began with the construction of a state-of-the-art hatchery at Friðarhöfn in southern Iceland, using a closed-loop RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) that minimizes water use through advanced filtration and reuse.
First of its kind in Iceland, the hatchery became fully operational in August last year, when the first batch of salmon smolt was transferred to the final RAS unit, making every system in the smolt station fully functional.
Three months later, in November, the first transfer of smolts to the post-smolt unit took place. A second batch was transferred in April, and to date, five batches have entered the production cycle: three are still being raised in the hatchery, while two have progressed to the grow-out.
This passage through the post-smolt unit is the previous step to their transfer to LAXEY's Viðlagafjara grow-out facility, a milestone now achieved. There, the salmon are introduced into tanks, each 28 meters in diameter and 13 meters high, holding up to 5,000 cubic meters of seawater, pumped from deep boreholes to ensure optimum water quality.
Construction progress view of LAXEY's land-based salmon farm in southern Iceland.
Photo: LAXEY.
As mentioned, this transfer of its first batch of salmon to grow-out tanks marks the completion of the first phase in LAXEY's six-phase development plan. Eight tanks will be constructed and commissioned in each phase, and once the facility is fully operational, it is expected to produce up to 42,000 tons of salmon per year.
So far, construction has remained on schedule, progressing alongside biomass development. In fact, in January this year, AKVA Group announced the award of a EUR 20 million contract with the Icelandic land-based farmer for module 2 of a re-use grow-out facility for Atlantic Salmon at Vestmannaeyjar.
Thus, the company said the first harvest is planned for autumn 2025. Moreover, preparations are already underway for a processing plant in Viðlagafjara to be equipped by Baader after LAXEY reached an agreement in November 2024 with the German company specializing in food processing technology and whose portfolio includes equipment for filleting, skinning, and portioning fish.
