Watermoon appoints former Åkerblå CEO as managing director.
Roger Sørensen has stepped down as CEO of Åkerblå Group to take on the role of managing director at zero-emission aquaculture technology company Watermoon, a subsidiary of Eide Fjordbruk.
The announcement comes as the Norwegian government prepares to present its long-awaited aquaculture strategy.
Sørensen, who led Åkerblå from 14 to over 550 employees during a ten-year tenure, said the move reflects his belief in Watermoon’s potential to address some of aquaculture’s key challenges.
“Watermoon represents the most exciting aquaculture project I’ve seen in my career,” he said in a statement. “It’s not just about technology, but about solving the industry’s biggest problems while raising fish welfare to a completely new level.”
Eide Fjordbruk’s general manager Sondre Eide described the appointment as “a top-tier signing” at “exactly the right time.”
Watermoon’s concept involves physically separating salmon and sea lice using a submerged, closed production system. The company says the facilities are suited to Norway’s exposed coastal conditions and are capable of producing both post-smolt and harvest-size fish.
Eide said the company is entering a new phase of commercial deployment and aims to recruit additional key personnel, including a CFO and COO.
Sørensen added: “For Norwegian aquaculture to grow, it must happen with technology that takes responsibility. Watermoon shows it’s possible to combine sustainability, fish welfare and profitability.”