Phase 1 of the Salmon Evolution facility on Harøy Island has the capacity to produce 7,900 tonnes of salmon annually © Salmon Evolution
The company previously announced that it is planning to start harvesting of its second batch of salmon at their Indre Harøy facility in May, with the entire batch planned harvested during the second quarter. The reason behind this was explained in a follow-up stock exchange notice, which revealed that the aggregated mortality level for each batch, up to 29 April ranges from 0.3 percent - 7.9 percent.
“The reason for the increased mortality is relating to gill health, suspected to be caused by external pathogens,” the company explained.
“The company is investigating the root cause and taking precautionary steps to mitigate the situation, including increased UV dosage on intake water. The facility is otherwise operating under stable conditions with relevant water quality parameters at normal levels,” they added.
As a result all 800 tonnes of the company’s second batch of fish, which have an average weight of approximately 4 kg each, are expected to be harvested by early June.
Meanwhile their third batch, which have an average weight of around 1.6 kg, is currently experiencing increased mortality. Although the smaller part of their fourth batch is also experiencing increased mortality levels, the larger part are performing well, as are their fifth batch.
“Depending on the future performance of the existing batches and any potential decisions to commence early harvest at suboptimal weights, expected timing for phase 1 steady state production volume may be delayed from late Q3 2023 to late Q4 2023,” the company stated.
“As to the financial impact of the situation, batch 2 is still expected to generate substantial revenues upon harvest and sale. Furthermore, any harvest of fish at suboptimal weights is also expected to generate revenues,” they added.
