Photo: Mentz Idergaard, NTNU.

Salmon and seaweed a golden combination

At least that’s what researchers believes. Now they are building a new research facility for seaweed off SalMar fish farm at Frøya in Norway.

 The reason is that the kelp grows faster when it is able to utilize the biological “surplus” of salmon production:

– Kelp takes up nitrogen and nutrients from urine and feces from salmon. It acts as fertilizer for kelp and cleanse while water, explains researcher Jorunn Skjermo SINTEF.

Experiments reveals that kelp can take up around ten percent of the fix nitrogen from the stool at a distance of 200 to 500 meters from the fish farm. It makes it possible to produce as much biomass (kelp), as there are salmon in the plant.

Research results show that the production of sweet tangle can double if grown near a farm (100-1000 meters). This may be an appropriate cultivation method in many coastal areas.

The planned research facility will be built and managed by ACE (Acuaculture Engineering).