The Icelandic land-based salmon farming start-up GeoSalmo has brought in Jóhannes Gíslason from rival salmon farmer Arnarlax to head up its sales and marketing operations.
GeoSalmo is in the process of constructing a 20,000 tonne hybrid flow-through land-based farm in southern Iceland. The farm, which will be powered by green energy from Landsvirkjun, Iceland’s national power company, is planned to include on-site smolt and processing facilities. This will enable GeoSalmo to grow their salmon from roe to finished product at the same site.
A business analyst with strong experience in the sale of fish products, Gíslason worked for the last six years at Arnarlax as sales manager. In his new role, he will be responsible for building up the sales network and market positioning of the company.
Gíslason joins the GeoSalmo team at a crucial stage in the business, as construction is due to begin on the RAS-based farm. The company previously announced it has submitted an environmental impact assessment report, and that the comments deadline has closed. The outcome for licencing should be known within the following weeks or months.
GeoSalmo aims to become a leader in developing land-based salmon farming in Iceland. During its first phase, the facility will produce approximately 7,300 tonnes of fish, ramping up to a 24,000-tonne capacity when fully operational.
The Icelandic firm has commissioned Norwegian company Artec-Aqua for the design of its farm as well as supervision over construction. The GeoSalmo facility will be located near Þorlákshöfn in the Ölfus municipality on the southern coast of Iceland.
