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Planning and operation

Production

cages The facility produces Arctic charr for consumption and has a concession for a total annual production of 300 metric tons. The company that owns the facility is called Umlax and has, in addition to this site, another cage facility in a new downstream reservoir, a hatchery and a slaughterhouse. They also produce some rainbow trout.

At this site, the target production size is between 500 and 800 grams, and it is supplied as platesize fish to the market. The facility receives fingerlings from their own hatchery in Vilhelmina, which is a close distance away and transports by tanker truck. Set out of fingerlings occurs mainly from July until October, and the set out size is 5-6 grams (approx. 6 months of age). After set-out the fish are grown out over a period of 1.5 to 3 years.

There is a large variability in growth rate, so the fish are graded frequently all year except during the winter. Initially the fish are graded into several sizes, but as the fish approach harvest size, they are graded out for slaughter. In other words, fish that have achieved 500-600 grams are graded out and retained in a separate cage for slaughter. The facility has a fixed AkvaMarina pneumatic feeding plant in addition to hand feeding for appetite indication. Two permanent staff operate the facility.

Slaughter

slaughter The fish are starved on-site before slaughter. They are then landed by net, where they are anaesthetized and gill-cut. After they are bled out, they are placed in iced boxes and shipped to the company's own slaughterhouse where the actual slaughtering process occurs. As of today, this occurs in Umgrans, a few hours away by truck, however the company is constructing a new slaughterhouse in Vilhelmina (also a few hours away by truck). This slaughterhouse is larger and more efficient, and is intended to process fish from several facilities in the region.

The facility harvests fish regularly twice a week throughout the year. It is a considerable challenge to land and bleed the fish mid-winters. The fish are crowded in the net bag and caught in a landing net which is lifted by crane to the bleeding facility.

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