Public support for Spain's first land-based Atlantic salmon farm expansion

Following a meeting with Norcantabric's shareholders, María José Sáenz de Buruaga - President of Cantabria, the region in northern Spain where the fish farm is located - announced her government's support for the expansion of Spanish first land-based Atlantic salmon farm in the Alto Asón Business Park, located in the town of Riancho, in the municipality of Ramales de la Victoria.

With mainly Mexican capital, the company has already reserved a plot of land of almost 20,000 square meters for the expansion of its salmon farm in this business park, a project to which it will allocate an additional investment of close to EUR 20 million. Its ultimate goal is to reach an annual production of 3,000 tons, which will be mainly aimed at the Spanish market.

Supported by the Government of Cantabria from the beginning

Owned by the public company Cantabria Industrial Land (Suelo Industrial de Cantabria - SICAN), this business park, which takes its name from the Asón River, known in the area for its salmon fishing tradition, already houses Phase 1 of Norcantabric's project.

Built on a 25,000-meter plot, after overcoming several difficulties that prevented its start-up on schedule (October 2021), the facility began salmon production last year and expects to start marketing in May 2025.

These difficulties, which ranged from bureaucratic hurdles to technical problems related to adjustments in the implementation of the Recirculation Aquaculture System (RAS) - Israeli AquaMaof was to have been in charge of the project, but it was finally awarded to Danish Alpha-Aqua - led the company to face higher operating costs than the initially foreseen EUR 32 million in two phases.

The project was supported by the Government of Cantabria from the beginning. The previous administration, led by the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) - current president, Sáenz de Buruaga, belongs to the Popular Party (PP) -, contributed funds to the project for a total of EUR 3 million, EUR 2 million through the Directorate General for Fisheries (European Fisheries Fund), and EUR 1 million through SODERCAN - Society for Regional Development of Cantabria -.

"We will strongly support Norcantabric"

Now, within the framework of her institutional trip to Mexico to strengthen business relations and attract investments for the development of strategic projects in Cantabria, President Sáenz de Buruaga met with the shareholders' board of Norcantabric and analyzed with them their future plans in the region, as well as the situation of the Atlantic salmon facility inaugurated in 2021, which, as mentioned, became the first of its kind in Spain.

Cantabrian president offered the company the collaboration of her government and informed them of the regional strategy including incentives for investment, reduction of bureaucracy, institutional support and visibility, and also support with land and industrial spaces in advantageous conditions from the economic and logistical point of view. To this end, Cantabria's budget this year includes an allocation of more than EUR 32 million.

"We want to attract new business investments to Cantabria and strengthen those already established, and we will strongly support Norcantabric so that it can continue to grow and generate activity and employment in the eastern region of Cantabria," said María José Sáenz de Buruaga.

The Government of Cantabria thus follows in the footsteps of other local and regional administrations which, as in this case, are also supporting with funds the development of the land-based aquaculture industry in northern Spain. The most recent example is the support of the neighboring region of Asturias for Sea Eight's new sole farm, which will be located in the port of El Musel, in the coastal city of Gijón, on the shore of the Cantabrian Sea.