Aerial view of Samonix's site for the construction of its land-based salmon farm in Quebec province.
Photo: Samonix.
Swedish company Smögenlax Aquaculture AB and Canadian company Samonix Inc. have announced the signing of a strategic Letter of Intent (LOI) that further strengthens their collaboration in advancing high-performance, circular land-based aquaculture systems.
According to the statement shared by both companies, this strengthened LOI further deepens the strategic alignment between them, enhancing access to innovation and integrated technology solutions and reflecting "a shared commitment to sustainable seafood production, technological excellence, and responsible long-term growth in the global aquaculture sector."
The agreement, which is based on Smögenlax's recent technological advances in RAS design, including proprietary and patent-pending technologies, also reinforces Samonix's role as a long-term development partner in the Americas.
In Sweden, Smögenlax Aquaculture received the green light to build a plant to locally farm 6,000 tons of Atlantic salmon per year in January last year. Located in the circular economy park of Kungshamn, a town famous for its fishing industry, in this park, energy, water, and waste products, among other components, are recycled.
Although it is primarily intended for salmon production, the purification process at the Smögenlax facility also includes the cultivation of algae, from which silica is extracted, and, in addition, the salmon and algae farming operations are connected to a biogas plant.
Thus, the byproducts in this process will not be considered waste, but will instead play an important role in the production of, among other things, energy, plant nutrients, and pharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, in Canada, Samonix is evaluating an initial project phase with an approximate target of 10,000 tons of annual production capacity, with significant phased expansion over time.
The Quebec-based land-based salmon company has the support of the Government of Canada, which, in August 2024, announced an investment of almost CAD 100,000 in a federal loan to support its pre-startup phase. As WeAreAquaculture then reported, the funding was intended to enable Samonix to conduct crucial preliminary studies as it moved toward establishing a state-of-the-art RAS facility in the Canadian province.
Now, the company has made substantial progress in its environmental and regulatory processes and has completed the core technical and supporting studies required at this stage, with formal reviews progressing through the appropriate authorities in parallel with the ongoing technical and commercial discussions.
In the joint announcement, both the President of Samonix, Mathieu Farley, and the CEO of Smögenlax Aquaculture, Joel Oresten, expressed their satisfaction with the signing of this strategic Letter of Intent.
"Firstly, this is a recognition of our technical and innovative solutions using modules of 2,000 tons/year," stated Smögenlax CEO. "Samonix offers strong local leadership, project development capability, and long-term operational vision. Together, we aim to combine Swedish aquaculture innovation with North American execution strength," Oresten added.
"This milestone represents an important step in deepening our collaboration," the President of Samonix said, for his part. "Smögenlax has demonstrated impressive technological advancements in modular and circular RAS solutions."
"By strengthening our strategic alignment, we are positioning ourselves to deploy world-class innovation at scale in North America within an industry undergoing structural transformation and requiring next-generation technological solutions," Farley continued.
Finally, the statement noted that, in the coming months, the parties will advance technical due diligence, refine commercial frameworks and assess the path towards definitive agreements.
