Creating value
2013
nofima.no
14
Financed by:
The Ministry of Fisheries and
Coastal Affairs
Can the Norwegian aquaculture model be threatened by land-based systems in countries with low production costs?
photo: Reidun Lilleholt Kraugerud © Nofima
On commission from the Ministry of Fisheries and
Coastal Affairs, the scientists have evaluated if new
operational concepts in aquaculture can threaten
Norway’s position as an aquaculture nation.
The scientists have evaluated land-based recirculat
ing systems both in Norway and in countries with low
production costs, offshore sea cages and closed-contain-
ment systems in both exposed and sheltered locations.
“We see that land-based or closed sea-based
systems, often using recirculating technology, are being
built in Denmark, North America, Scotland and China.
Land-based or closed systems will involve much higher
investment costs, but some of this disadvantage is
expected to be offset by lower operating costs. Howev-
er, there is a long way to go before closed constructions
will be as economical as today’s net-based solutions,”
says Scientist Audun Iversen.
Costs:
The average production cost of the current
net-based aquaculture is NOK 24 per kilo of salmon
produced. The costs for the other concepts are far more
uncertain, so the scientists have developed an analytical
model to take the uncertainty into account.
“There are much higher costs in the closed or semi-
closed concepts, at least NOK 5-10 above today’s net-
based concept,” says Iversen.
Major policy changes, such as stricter environmental
requirements, may change this picture. The scientists
also envisage that technological paradigm shifts, which
give major changes in the cost level, can impact on the
probability of the success of the various technologies. In
the long term, more efficient land-based aquaculture can
come close to the net-based costs. Land-based aquacul-
ture in low-cost countries may be a future threat.
The scientists believe that we will see more examples
of combination models, where more of the salmon’s
growth (e.g. up to 1 kg) occurs in land or sea-based
closed-containment systems.
A lot needs to happen to threaten the hegemony of the net-based
production concept in salmon farming, a report from Nofima shows.
New aquaculture revolution?
