Namibia’s Benguela Blue set to farm salmon offshore
A fish farming startup has obtained permits to raise up to 35,000 tonnes of salmon off the coast of Namibia at a high-energy site.
Benguela Blue Aqua Farming has partnered with aquaculture technology business Innovasea, which will supply its submersible SeaStation pens for the project and provide consultancy services to help secure the permits.
The farm will be located 8km offshore from the town of Lüderitz. While water conditions at the site are ideal for raising salmon, Innovasea said, strong surface currents and wave heights often in excess of two metres require the use of submersible pens that can be submerged to avoid most of the wave energy.
The Benguela current, which sweeps up and along the coast of southern Africa from the Cape of Good Hope to Angola, carries cold, nutrient-rich water from the southern Atlantic Ocean, but also creates challenging conditions.
Johannes Aldrian, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Benguela Blue Aqua Farming, said: “We are proud to be the first company to bring sustainable aquafarming to Namibia.The area has excellent water conditions and enormous potential, and we’re optimistic that Namibia’s stable governance will encourage other companies to follow our lead to help create a thriving fish farming industry.”
The farm is targeting the second quarter of 2024 to begin operations. Its first harvest is expected to be around 100 tonnes.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Benguela Blue Aqua Farming on this important project to bring open ocean aquaculture to southern Africa,” said Langley Gace, Innovasea’s Senior Vice-President of Business Development.“The company has a strong business vision and has worked closely with authorities in Namibia to develop a smart, realistic plan to safely raise healthy fish and create good-paying jobs for the local economy.”
Innovasea claims its SeaStation is “the world’s toughest fish pen” and has a proven track record of surviving hurricanes, typhoons and other significant storms unscathed over the last 28 years.
Benguela Blue Aqua is currently looking for additional investors to help fund the project in Namibia.