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Skretting, Andfjord Salmon, Zooca partner on zooplankton salmon feed

July 13, 2022  By  Nestor Arellano


(Image from: Andfjord Salmon)

Land-based aquaculture company, Andfjord Salmon, has teamed up with Skretting Norway and sustainable food source company, Zooca, in the development of a salmon feed especially designed for the flow-through system used in Andfjord’s facility in Kvalnes, Andøya.

The long-term agreement between the three companies is aimed at increasing the use and commercialization of salmon feed using the zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus (Calanus). Zooca is a a Norwegian company that specializes in developing raw nutrients from calanus.

“Our ambition is to develop the world’s most fish friendly and sustainable aquaculture facility of its kind,” said Martin Rasmussen, chief executive of Andfjord Salmon. “Having our own specially designed feed, with unique ingredients from a local supplier, is another important building block towards realizing this ambition.”

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The feed has been named Calanus Plus by Andfjord Salmon. The feed also contains algae oil as an alternative to marine fish oil.  Its composition is specifically tailored to Andfjord Salmon’s flow-through system at Andøya  to ensure optimal water quality, fish welfare and growth conditions in the land-based pool.

“Calanus finmarchicus is nature’s own ‘starter’ feed. It is a natural prey that is biologically adapted to provide optimal nutrition for fish,” according to Mads Martinsen, director of product development and sustainability at Skretting. “Adding Zooca Hydrolysate made from Calanus finmarchicus to the feed will be very useful to stimulate the fish’s appetite in the transition to seawater.”

Calanus finmarchicus is one of the most numerous animal species on the planet, with an annual reproduction of approximately 300 million tons, and it is Norway’s largest harvestable and renewable marine resource. Today, the Zooca only harvests approximately 0.0005 per cent of the total volume annually.

“By sustainably harnessing high-performing, high-quality nutrients from Calanus finmarchicus, there is a large potential to improve long-term human health and ensure superior animal nutrition around the globe,” said Hogne Abrahamsen, international account director at Zooca.


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