News & Views
Norwegian salmon hatchery closing down

Fish farming company Salmar, which employs 1000 people in Mid-Norway has decided to shutter its hatchery Villa Smolt AS at Moltustranda in Herøy. Eight employees have been told that they are losing their jobs.

If they cannot sell the hatchery, with or without smolt, another option will be to apply to the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities (FSA) for a license to destroy smolt currently held at the facility said SALMAR executive company director Olav Andreas Ervik.

Section head in FSA, Anne Stine Foldal Aam, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that such an application would be evaluated once it is in hand.

All eight employees at the site in Moltustranda have been offered positions elsewhere within the company, but these are not based in the Sunnmøre region, says Ervik.

It is only one year since Salmar took over the hatchery in Herøy. According to Ervik, the hatchery has not lived up to expectations in terms of capacity and quality. This is the main reason why the site is being closed.

         – Siri Elise Dybdal