New pathways for organic waste in land-based farming of salmon: The case of Norway and Denmark

Abstract

Demand for farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has been increasing dramatically. Simultaneously, the industry faces increasingly large ecological challenges with the grow-out phase at sea. As a result, and with the aid of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) technology, firms are moving more of the production processes onto land.

Thus far, the industry has treated the waste (sludge from the land-based farms) as a low-value product, and valorisation has been a low priority. Handling of waste is primarily driven by the need to meet regulations, and applications for the waste have been slow to develop. However, as the scale of land-based aquaculture increases, the volumes of organic waste are expected to grow proportionally. This will require innovation to develop new pathways to handle this increased volume of waste for this industry in order to become more sustainable.

In this chapter, we explore the possibilities for sustainable pathways for increased valorisation of organic waste from the aquaculture salmon industry in Norway and Denmark from a socio-technical transition perspective. Through interviews with fish producers and technology providers, we explore the barriers for development, key drivers for innovation and potential areas for new value chains and networks that may emerge within this industry.