Seattle Fish employee’s Chris Franklin and Natalie Kayton recently visited Norwegian salmon partner, Kvarøy Artic, to learn more about the process of raising farmed salmon. This trip showcased the past history of fish farming in Norway, the present technology to create a sustainable model in aquaculture, and the future innovation of farmed salmon.
Like Seattle Fish, Kvarøy is built on the core values of family and sustainability. Kvarøy Island is a small community of about 70 people that have been salmon farming for three generations. They have used their decades of farming experience, alongside investing in new aquaculture technology, to create a premium Norwegian salmon.
Kvarøy has become innovators in using Stingray laser technology which detects, logs, and zaps sea lice off salmon. Some farmers use antibiotics to get rid of sea lice, but this is an innovative way to address the issue while being antibiotic free. Sea lice are harmful to salmon, so this new technology is effectively eliminating the issue and also has zero impact on the salmon due to their mirror-like skin which reflects the lasers.
SFC loves partnering with forward-thinking vendors who are thinking – “How can we do this better?”
During this trip, the Seattle Fish team visited the smolt facility, three salmon farms, and 1814 – Kvarøy’s new state-of-the-art processing plant near Oslo’s airport.
The salmon start at the smolt facility as eggs, hatch, and then move into circular tanks to grow in freshwater. When the salmon become strong enough to live in seawater, they are called smolt and are transferred to floating pens off Kvarøy Island.
The smolt begin to grow in 39-59 degrees Fahrenheit seawater and an active current. The pens are placed between two open fjords which create optimal clean water and healthy salmon. The salmon grow in the pens and hit market size in around eighteen months.
Once grown to size, the fish are filleted and portioned at 1814. Previously, the salmon was processed in neighboring countries, so in opening 1814, Kvarøy is able to shorten the carbon footprint and simplify the supply chain.
Seattle Fish is proud to source a Norwegian salmon that is sustainably raised, high-quality, and well-certified. We value partnerships with vendors who are sustainably looking to grow aquaculture.
Thank you to the Kvarøy team for hosting Seattle Fish and teaching us more about the process prior to Kvarøy salmon landing in Denver! Click below for video content from this trip: