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AquaGen opens Norway’s first land-based salmon egg facility

AquaGen’s new full-cycle facility, Profunda, officially opened its doors at Barstadvik in Ørsta municipality on Aug. 21.

The opening ceremony, which took place just one day before Norway’s AquaNor conference (Aug. 22-24) in Trondheim, welcomed 130 community members, including local government officials.

Vidar Ulriksen, State secretary to the Minister of fisheries and oceans, gave the opening speech and had the honour of cutting the silk ribbon. (Photo: AquaGen)

Mayor in Ørsta municipality, Steinar Åm, gave a speech during the opening of Profunda. (Photo: AquaGen)

This is a full-cycle, land-based facility created to produce salmon eggs. This means that the fish spend their whole life within the facility and under optimal conditions. The facility is established above wells for fresh and marine groundwater which supplies the facility with totally pure water.

AquaGen purchased Profunda in 2017, at a stage when the facility produced broodstock salmon for other customers. In 2018, the facility was expanded with 2,000 m³ tank-volume for expanded broodstock capacity.

In 2020, the company started to turn Profunda into a full-cycle land-based facility for egg production.

“We have built a freshwater department for broodstock, an egg harvesting line, an egg incubation department, technical facilities and a new administration area,” according to the company press release. “Artec Aqua has been the turnkey contractor throughout the project and has delivered within the quality, price, and timeframe we agreed upon.”

The first batch of eggs were delivered in May 2023, and since then the company’s “special egg-trucks” have delivered many batches within Norway. AquaGen has also sent several deliveries to the United States.

The Profunda facility has a capacity of about 100 million eggs per year, throughout the year. Profunda will deliver eggs to sea-based and land-based production, but the export market will be prioritized once the necessary permissions are in place.