News Systems
AquaGen officially opens land-based broodstock facility

Salmon genetics firm AquaGen has officially opened Profunda, its full-cycle, land-based facility created to produce salmon eggs in Barstadvik in the municipaloty of Ørsta, Norway.

Back in 2021, AquaGen signed a contract with Artec Aqua to recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) equipment for the US$18-million project named, that would be Norway’s only land-based full-cycle broodstock and egg production facility.

AquaGen purchased Profunda in 2017, at a stage when the facility produced broodstock salmon for other customers. In 2018 the facility was expanded with 2000 m³ tank-volume for expanded broodstock capacity. In 2020 we started the work to turn Profunda into a full-cycle land-based facility for egg production.

The Profunda facility has a capacity of about 100 million eggs per year, throughout the year.

In Profunda, the fish spends their whole life within the facility and under optimal conditions, according to AquaGen. “The fish is physically separated from the environment, ensuring a unique biosecurity and exceptional production conditions.”

“The river Storelva in Barstadvik has distributed glacial deposits formed during the last ice age, thus creating the foundation for naturally cleaned groundwater through the valley and into the fjord. We have established wells for fresh and marine groundwater which supplies the facility with totally pure water, and Profunda is thus unique in Norway,” according to the company.