Nine year wait for Swedish fish farm project is finally over

The Norrbotten-Västerbotten Agricultural Society says it has received the environmental permit for what it calls “the new generation of fish farming”: a land-based fish farm producing char, based in the Arctic north of the country.

 

The facility in Sunderbyn, Luleå municipality is based in Norrbotten, Sweden’s most northerly county. The Society says it will meet record-high requirements for nitrogen purification in an Arctic climate.

 

The project is expected to  create 60 direct jobs and will be a boost  for food production in the region.

 

The Land and Environmental Court announced that the Norrbotten-Västerbotten Agricultural Society, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Ravdu AB, has received the environmental permit for land-based fish farming in Sunderbyn, Luleå Municipality.

 

When fully developed, the facility will be able to produce 10,000 tons of char a year.

 

Arctic char is a cold-water fish species found in Arctic and sub-Arctic lakes and coastal waters. It is closely related to both salmon and trout and is known for its delicate flavour and pinkish-orange flesh. Arctic char is often sought after for its mild taste and is considered a delicacy in many regions.

 

Mikael Kivijärvi, project manager at Ravdu AB said: “We finally have the environmental permit in our hands and this is a huge day not only for us but for the whole of Norrbotten as a food county. We will start by farming char, which is a fantastic food fish. We will sell it in grocery stores and to restaurants.

 

The facility will be unique because the Land and Environment Court set higher environmental requirements for the facility than ever before in an Arctic climate. The environmental permit shows that the farming meets the high requirements.

 

Jörgen Ericsson, chairman of the board at Ravdu AB claimed: “Our fish farming will take a leading position in the market, as it will be the first in the world with the new technology that meets the higher environmental requirements. In the long term, the goal is for us to build more facilities in the county and also farm other fish species such as salmon and rainbow trout.”

 

The society says work is underway in Norrbotten and Sweden to increase the degree of self-sufficiency in food, adding: " It is the measure of how large a proportion of our food we produce ourselves without having to import."

 

“This is encouraging news for Swedish preparedness, with our uncertain external situation it is important that we strengthen our own food production. When the fish farm in Sunderbyn is built in a planned first phase with 3,000 tonnes of char per year, it will mean an increase of around 30% of the entire Swedish food fish production,” says Mikael Kivijärvi.