Lerøy Seafood Group
Investing in organic Lerøy is investigating new, organic practices for its salmon as well as the possibilities for a new crop – seaweed BY VINCE MCDONAGH
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OULD “organic” be the next big global development in world aquaculture? Lerøy Seafood seems to think so, which is probably why it has introduced a new salmon quality mark and is accelera�ng its seaweed project. Lerøy Organic has been launched in response to high demand and as a pla�orm offering a full range of quality-marked cer�fied seafoods. Organic salmon is not new, of course, but it remains at the margins for most fish farming companies. That could be about to change, however. Lerøy’s Head of Sales and Distribu�on, Lene Fammestad, said recently: “We want to be a complete supplier of seafood and we are seeing that a growing number of people want organic, as well as conven�onal, salmon.” So far, Lerøy Organic consists of the product Organic Salmon and the new seaweed brand called Mǽr. The quality mark assures consumers that their food has been produced according to organic principles. Strict EU regula�ons apply when labelling a product as organic. They ensure that the produc�on process is kept as natural as possible and with minimum impact on the environment. Currently, Lerøy’s organic salmon is produced at four fish farms in the Norwegian county of Vestland. Normally, the nets in which fish are held are impregnated with a product that contains copper to prevent bivalves and algae growing on them. When copper comes
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into contact with water, it erodes, which can nega�vely impact condi�ons on the sea floor. Copper can not therefore be used in organic produc�on. The maximum density of salmon in the nets is also less than half what it is for conven�onal salmon, which minimises the environmental impact of the aquaculture. In conven�onal produc�on, salmon cons�tutes up to 2.5% of the volume in cages, but in organic farming it is just 1%, leaving 99% as water. “Lerøy’s organic salmon is of excellent quality, so naturally it is in high demand. Our hope is that more and more people will no�ce this, so we can distribute it to even more consumers around the world,” Fammestad explains. Another plus is that the salmon is only fed on organic feed, with a higher content of marine-based ingredients than that given to conven�onally reared salmon. The characteris�c pink colour is obtained by using Panaferd, a feed addi�ve derived from micro-
Above: Sugar kelp Left: Lene Fammestad Opposite from top:
Organic salmon; Organic Ocean Forest seaweed from Lerøy
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
11/01/2022 14:18:39
