Norwegian agencies under fire on salmon welfare

Norway’s National Audit Office has published a highly critical report, accusing the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and some of its subordinate agencies of failing on farmed fish welfare. Released yesterday, the Audit Office report into the country’s aquaculture industry says that various authorities have not implemented sufficient measures to reduce ongoing challenges with…

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Salmon Scotland backs calls for skills reform

Industry body Salmon Scotland has welcomed a report which is calling for a major reform of skills training in Scotland. The report, Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, was commissioned by the Scottish Government and led by James Withers, former chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink. It makes 15 recommendations to help reach…

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Aquaculture legislation presented to US Senate

Two US senators have re-introduced legislation that aims to provide the regulatory framework needed to increase American offshore aquaculture production. The bipartisan bill, the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act, sets out to increase production of sustainable seafood offshore in US federal waters and create economic opportunities for American communities coast-to-coast.…

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Norcod planning sevenfold growth by 2027

Cod farming company Norcod has set out a long term business strategy for sustained major growth. The Norwegian-based business said in its annual report that it is experiencing increased demand for year-round stable deliveries of fresh cod. It announced that it is targeting a near sevenfold increase in its annual harvest by 2027. “The global market demands stable deliveries…

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Dairy chief to head Young’s seafood owner

Sofina Foods has appointed one of the food industry’s highest profile figures as the new chief executive for its European division which includes Young’s, the UK’s largest seafood company. He is Ash Amirahmadi (pictured) currently managing director of Arla UK, which means he switches from the problems of the dairy industry to the challenges of…

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Earth Capital takes stake in Ace Aquatec

Cleantech fund Earth Capital Limited has backed aquaculture technology business Ace Aquatec, joining Aqua-Spark and Chroma Ventures as an investor in the company. The sum invested has not been disclosed. Ace Aquatec said it would use the injection of capital to grow its current portfolio of products and markets. As part of the deal, Bradley…

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Oslo under fire for ‘lack of ambition’ on seafood

The Norwegian employer organisation Sjømatbedriftene (Seafood Companies) has expressed concern over its government’s “lack of ambition” for the industry. The comments followed the organisation’s recent national meeting. While Seafood Companies has called for the government to think again about the so-called “salmon tax” or ground rent tax, the organisation says the problem goes deeper than…

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ISA suspected at Vestland fish farm

Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) is suspected at a Mowi-owned site in Norway, the country’s Food Safety Authority has said. The location is at Kvinnherad municipality in the Vestland region. Mowi first suspected it had a problem over a week ago and immediately notified the authority before sending it samples for analysis. A number of ISA…

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Mowi Scotland denies it wants to ‘gag’ activist

Scottish salmon producer Mowi has denied it wants to gag a campaigner by banning him from its fish farms, in a civil case heard at Oban Sheriff Court on 1 June. Mowi Scotland Ltd is pursuing an interdict to prevent environmental activist Don Staniford coming within 15 metres of its fish farms. Acting for the…

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BREAKING – Cermaq and AKVA sign NOK 700m post-smolt plant deal

Cermaq Norway has entered into a contract with the aquaculture equipment company AKVA to build a NOK 700m (£51m) post-smolt plant on the island of Sørøya in the Finnmark region. It is thought to be the largest such RAS contract of its kind in the country so far, with design and engineering work starting immediately. The…

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