Cod farmer acquires salmon harvesting site

Norwegian cod farmer Ode has taken over a harvesting facility formerly owned by the salmon group Måsøval.

Ode confirmed at the weekend that it had acquired the Western Seaproducts facility in Vartdal near Ålesund, on the west coast of Norway.

The plant will become a fully owned subsidiary and will be operated as a specialised facility for harvesting and processing cod.

Last year Måsøval anounced a major restructuring of its business, although harvest figures for 2023 showed an improvement on the previous period.

The move also secures employment for the people who work at the site. Most of the workforce comes from the local area, which highlights its local importance, Ode said.

Ola Kvalheim, Chief Executive, Ode

Ode CEO Ola Kvalheim added: “At Ode, we have a clear strategy of being fully integrated to control quality, traceability and efficiency across the entire value chain.

“By acquiring the processing plant in Vartdal, we are now involved all the way from the egg to the customer, a process that takes three years, caring for our fish to end up with the best products for our consumers.”

He added: “This important acquisition is the final step in Ode building a fully integrated value chain for cod farming, including hatchery, juvenile grow-out, farming, slaughtering, processing, sales, and marketing.

“Ode has made significant investments in production capacity and is developing an organization that currently employs almost 150 people.

“Going forward, Ode will be focusing on expanding production step-by-step across our value chain to ensure we can continue to grow with our existing customers and take on new customers.”

Ode delivered just under four million kilos of fresh cod in 2023 and plans to triple production volume to 12 million kilos this year.