Norway’s Statsforvalteren i Vestland has rejected all five site applications submitted by Eide Fjordbruk for its closed-containment Watermoon system. The rejections were part of a broader ruling that denied nine site applications in the Hardangerfjord area.
All five Watermoon sites were located in Kvinnherad municipality.
The regulator flagged “very little experience data” for the closed technology, including uncertainty around actual filtration performance. Eide Fjordbruk said it was caught off guard by the collective refusal.
“We are surprised that the Statsforvalteren has collectively rejected all applications in the Hardangerfjord,” said Vidar Hjartnes, Eide’s public affairs contact, to Bergens Tidende. “We have over several years developed the lice-free, zero-discharge Watermoon platform, which delivers very good results.”
Eide warned that the decision could produce the opposite of its intended effect. Rejecting closed-containment sites may force open-pen farms to continue operating in the fjord rather than being replaced by technology designed to protect wild salmon and the fjord environment, the company said.
Eide Fjordbruk will appeal the decision.