Fishing and aquaculture are important parts of the Norwegian economy: the cold, clean waters contribute to a product enjoyed around the world.
A large part of the citizens at Frøya are employed in aquaculture or companies that supply their goods and services to the industry. In addition, many of the jobs in the public sector are also a result of, and dependent on, the aquaculture industry. Henny Førde, Head of Sales and Logistics at Måsøval, says that these synergies make Frøya one of the most successful coastal municipalities in Norway:
“We are around 5,000 people on the island, so everyone knows about fish farming and how important it is for our society.”
Måsøval is a fish producer that has sites in 10 rural communities along the coast of Norway, including Frøya. Asle Rønning, Chief Executive Officer at Måsøval says that the company is celebrating a major landmark:
“Måsøval is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, with its third generation owning and running the company. We are very grateful for the communities that are hosting our industry, so we are trying to give something back.”
Måsøval has a long history of giving back to their host communities. By cooperating with local schools and organisations, they wish to aid future generations in becoming familiar with the aquaculture industry and its importance to their community. All with a hope of creating engaged communities that one day can use their knowledge to further the industry in a sustainable way.
With the land reaching capacity for food production, oceans - which cover 70 percent of the surface of the earth - currently account for just two percent of the food we eat. Vegard Engen, Operating Technician at Måsøval, says that increased utilisation of the oceans is an answer to the problem of feeding the growing global population.
“The fish farming industry is important to the community because we produce food in a sustainable way and leave a smaller footprint on nature. The world depends on this industry.”
Rønning says that the numbers speak for themselves:
“In 14 months, we produce 50 million meals on this site: that’s 10 million kilos using less than one square kilometre. It’s a very sustainable way of producing food and we spend maybe $100,000 between every production cycle to monitor the environment around the site. If we are not getting good and healthy answers in tests, we will stop or reduce production for the next cycle.”
Focusing on fish health and safety is the key to maintaining this level of productivity while also ensuring that the resulting product is of high quality. Vegard Engen can attest to this:
“Our job is to make sure that the fish has as good a life as possible while it is at our facility. Every day we take rounds around every ring just to make sure that there are no problems.”
Henny Førde says that before the fish reach cages in the open sea, they are carefully nurtured from the egg to young adult in tanks:
“We try to follow natural biological processes all the time, so we start in freshwater, and give the hatchlings a mat that replicates the gravel in a river.”
The behaviour of the fish is monitored for signs that they are ready to be transferred from tanks to sea. Førde explains:
“When the fish wants to stay in freshwater, it swims against the current at all times. The sign for us to know that they're ready for seawater is when they let go and swim with the current as they do in the river.”
The young fish are transported in good boats to farms and put into open cages of up to 200,000 fish each, where Førde says their growth and development are monitored:
“We carefully control the fish feeding using cameras in each cage so they can monitor and adjust the feeding.”
Vidar Garnvik, owner and manager of Garnviks Røkeri, a fish processing company from Frøya in Trøndelag says that the process has paid off in the final product:
“The quality of the farmed salmon in Frøya stems from its unique growing conditions with clear, running water, or sea, with major water exchanges during the ebb and flow. The fish are given a special feed which gives the Måsøval salmon a more firm quality in the meat and a nicer colour.”
Garnvik says that the quality of the fish gives them a distinct advantage:
“We produce an end product which is of higher class. The fresh ingredients we have, I imagine a lot of people must be envious of.”
For Asle Rønning, this generations-old business still has a part to play in the future of food production:
“We will keep developing the industry and ourselves even further. There is still a lot to do, so we will keep on improving sustainability, and grow our business and the industry because we truly think it's a part of the solution for the future.”
