First project is a post-smolt salmon farm to begin construction as soon as the the local government has issued the permissions.
The SIFT Group, a Norwegian company focused on land-based fish farming, has announced the completion of its pilot project utilizing Super-Intensive Farming Technology (SIFT).
“Exciting news from the SIFT Group! Our pilot farm has produced the first harvested salmon, promising a culinary delight that tastes like wild salmon, wrote CEO
The company now plans to scale up to its first commercial farm once local government permissions are secured.
The pilot farm has produced its initial batch of harvested salmon. These fish, grown in seawater recycling aquaculture systems (RAS), have shown growth in densities of up to 200 kg/m³, which is higher than other land-based farms, according to
The feed conversion ratio for these fish is between 0.7 and 0.8, with no feed spill, which is lower than other land-based and sea cage farms, reducing CO2 emissions.
SIFT’s vertical raceways are stacked up to 10 independent levels, allowing for higher fish densities and are projected to have operational costs similar to ocean net pens.
The SIFT system follows strict environmental standards, purifying all discharge water. The farming system is designed to be animal-friendly, with optimized temperature and oxygen levels and continuous cleaning of waste particles and toxic gases.
The company plans to establish a full-scale commercial demonstration farm with an annual capacity of 1,000 tons, with an eventual expansion to 35,000 tons per year on a three-hectare plot outside Tromsø. The company currently holds a Norwegian pilot license for the production of 20 tons per year, which will be updated incrementally to reach the full-scale capacity.
“Our pilot farm has produced the first harvested salmon, which have a fillet fat content of 6%, compared to the 12-18% found in farmed salmon in sea cages,” the company stated. “We are now ready to scale up the pilot farming concept.”
Supported by Innovation Norway, SIFT Group’s project aims to combine advanced technology with sustainable practices. The company is open to discussions for scale-up projects with potential partners.
