Bluegreen announces Marine Donut transition to standard operations and post-smolt production.
Bluegreen has announced it is assisting SalMar with transitioning the Marine Donut facility from a development phase to regular commercial operations, including adapting the unit for post-smolt production.
Marine Donut has to date been operated under a development licence with a primary focus on producing fish to market size. Experience from full-scale testing is now forming the basis for bringing the technology into standard production and expanding its application to post-smolts.
“The transition from a development licence to regular operations means that the facility must be adapted to its intended use. Post-smolt production has different requirements compared to grow-out, particularly in terms of number of individuals and fish size,” said Henrik Thorstensen, CTO of Bluegreen.
The company said the work includes new technical assessments and adjustments to fish barriers to meet requirements for post-smolt production, where smaller fish require tighter mesh sizes and enhanced barrier functionality.
“The next step will be finalising the conversion and submitting applications for exemptions to allow stocking of up to 1,000,000 individuals,” Thorstensen said.
According to Bluegreen, the biological and technical foundations of Marine Donut were originally developed with high biomass density and stable operations in mind. Full-scale tests have demonstrated what the company described as strong biological results, and these experiences are now being used to optimise the facility for post-smolt production.
SalMar plans to use Marine Donut for post-smolt production with spring stocking, before transferring fish to open sea sites for final grow-out. The company said the use of closed technology in this phase reduces exposure to external environmental factors and provides greater control during a critical stage of the production cycle.
“Marine Donut has delivered very strong results during the development phase. The work now underway is about bringing the technology into standard operations and adapting it to new applications. This is an important step in the continued commercialisation of the solution,” Thorstensen said.