Salmon farms on land ‘still in works’

GROWING salmon to fullsize in land-based facilities is yet to become a viable option, industry experts say.

Salmon industry heavyweights from across the world are in town this week for the Global Salmon Conference, being run by the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies.

The experts in Hobart include Atli Gregerson, chief executive of Hidden Fjord, which operates in the Faroe Islands near Norway, and Patrick Tigges, managing director of Billund Aquaculture, a Danish company specialising in land-based facilities.

Growing salmon solely in land-based facilities has been suggested by some environmental groups as a solution to environmental issues being faced by the Tasmanian industry.

But Mr Tigges said the idea remained experimental, and significant challenges would need to be overcome before it could be viable.

However, Mr Tigges said there were benefits to growing smolt for longer periods on land, including reduced risk of disease and the time the fish spend at sea — by up to eight months in some cases.

“We are seeing an increased demand for systems for bigger fish, simply because a slightly bigger smolt is a more robust fish,” Mr Tigges said.

Huon Aquaculture has plans to do this at a new facility at Whale Point in Port Huon.

Mr Gregerson highlighted a need for strong biosecurity regulations and transparency in the industry.

He said the Faroe Islands salmon industry was forced to make significant changes following industry collapse in the 1990s.