North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) together with Norwegian Centre of Expertise - Seafood Innovation Cluster and the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF) presents a historic and unprecedented opportunity to bring key salmon players, researchers and leading experts of the world together to embark on new paths to combat sea lice.

Ambitions are high, funding is available and the technology is well on the way when it comes to closed aquaculture facilities. This means that the road from research to implementation may be short. This is what tempted two international scientists to move to Sunndalsøra on the west coast of Norway, to be involved in developing the new generation of closed-containment salmon aquaculture facilities.

The overall vision of the OrAqua project is the economic growth of the organic aquaculture sector in Europe, supported by science based regulations in line with the organic principles and consumer confidence.

Never has the survival of juvenile cod been as high at the food research institute Nofima. Systematic improvements in all aspects of management have made a difference.

At this land-based research station at Sunndalsøra with fresh water, seawater and recirculated water, we can carry out biological and technological experiments along the complete aquaculture value chain.

Scientists at Nofima have developed a new and efficient DNA test to trace escaped farmed salmon, in which they can link the DNA profile of the escaped fish to the fish farm from which it escaped. Testing of the system on a pilot scale demonstrates virtually 100 % accuracy, and simulation of data that has so far been done on an industrial scale is promising.