Ireland: Are land-based salmon farms a threat to fish welfare?

At the Economist Virtual World Ocean Summit on 4 March, Håkon Andre Berg, CEO of Salmon Evolution, spoke about the role land-based salmon farms – including recirculation systems – are likely to play in the sector’s growth trajectory. Berg noted that Salmon Evolution’s land-based facility is not a RAS, but uses a hybrid flow-through system. This recirculates some of the culture water while pumping in fresh seawater and, according to Berg, allows the company to keep water treatment costs low, while getting the environmental benefit of recirculation. He explained that many proponents of RAS technology have highlighted the positive biosecurity and environmental outcomes when compared to conventional marine net pens. When asked if the high stocking densities needed to make land-based farming profitable made the facilities similar to “battery farming”, Berg argued that, despite welfare concerns, he was, “certain that fish welfare is dramatically improved [when] we take fish on land.” ...