Resource use and circular economy

Our approach to circularity builds on technological innovation and strong partnerships

Every year, the aquaculture industry produces large quantities of fish sludge, both on land and at sea. Although our impact as a land-based farmer is limited compared to sea-based farming, we have implemented several circularity measures to reduce and prevent waste generation in our own activities and upstream and downstream in our value chain – focusing on everything from feed and biological conditions to processing of sludge generated.

1. Feed development:

Together with Skretting and Nutreco we have developed a specially designed feed that has a lower sink rate, meaning that more feed is eaten by the fish and less feed end up at the bottom of the pool as waste.

2. Clean and collect:

The first step in our method for sludge collection is the pool itself: Fish sludge stemming from production sink and settle on the bottom of the pool. We utilise specially designed and technologically advanced robots (ROVs) that clean the walls and floor of the pools for feed residue and faeces and pumps the fish sludge to the next processing step. In connection with the build-out of four next pools, we have engaged Norwegian robotics firm Meox that will develop self- propelled ROVs – a newer version of the units that were used at the first pool.

3. Draining:

After the ROVs have collected fish sludge from the bottom of the pool, the sludge is pumped through pipes until it reaches our water treatment system. The water treatment system is delivered by Sterner – one of Norway’s leading suppliers of water treatment systems for the aquaculture industry. Sterner’s technology has been adapted to fit our production system and will secure important nutrients that will allow for further circular use of the sludge.

4. Processing:

We deliver our fish sludge to a logistics partner that specialises in collecting residual raw materials from the aquaculture industry. Its partners in the biogas industry turn the fish sludge into energy. We also take part in several innovation projects aimed at utilising fish sludge for other purposes.

The specially designed feed for the Andfjord Salmon flow-through technology.

The Hydro Antec Project: Technology for biogas treatment of waste

We are currently participating in an innovative project aimed at producing biogas exclusively from fish sludge from farmed fish production. The goal of the project is to be able to run fish sludge through a biogas plant without having to use manure or other substrates.

Want to know more about our work related to resource use and circular economy?

More facts and figures can be found in our integrated annual report.