Research activities for Skretting are conducted through the research organisation Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) in Stavanger, Norway. This latest EUR 2.8-million investment in R&D was targeted at the Skretting ARC fish trials station at Lerang, just outside Stavanger.
Improvements include the installation of 42 saltwater tanks to accommodate ongrowing fish up to market size, on land. This means there are no longer any trials in conventional net pens in the fjord where Lerang is based. The tanks, which have sophisticated instruments controlling important variables as temperature and feed intake, will give even more accurate data for R&D. Wout Dekker, the CEO of the Skretting parent company Nutreco, opened the new facility together with the Mayor of Forsand community, Ole Tom Guse.
“Skretting and Nutreco utilise the findings generated at Lerang worldwide. The upgrading confirms the ranking of this trial station among international leaders,” said Wout Dekker at the opening.
The annual R&D budget of Skretting ARC is EUR 9 million. Activities are co-ordinated from Norway and the research results are implemented by Skretting companies around the world. In addition to the Lerang fish trials station, Skretting ARC runs a feed technology plant and a large, advanced laboratory. Some 60 researchers of ten nationalities, many at PhD level, work at the centre and research facilities.
Fully land based
The upgrading makes the Lerang fish trials station totally land based, even when conducting seawater trials. Research in land-based tanks offers greater options to control conditions such as temperature. At the same time, by raising the fish in tanks, external threats such as attacks from seals, lice and seagulls have been eliminated.
Contacts
Lillian Høivik, Skretting Communication Manager tel +47 97 19 11 71, lillian.hoeivik@skretting.com
Alex Obach, Managing Director Skretting ARC, tel +47 91 82 80 21, alex.obach@skretting.com
Skretting is the world leader in the production and supply of feed for farmed fish. Total annual production of high quality feeds is more than 1.3 million tonnes. Skretting has operating companies on five continents to produce and deliver feeds from hatching to harvest for more than 50 species of farmed fish. Skretting is a part of Nutreco; an international company in the animal nutrition and fish feed markets.
Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) is the central R&D unit for Skretting. Skretting ARC's main objective is to provide research and technical support regarding fish feed for salmonids and marine species. ARC core competencies are within fish nutrition, feed raw materials, feed safety & quality and feed manufacturing processes. Its facilities include a fish trials station, a pilot plant for feed production and a well-equipped modern chemical laboratory. Based in Stavanger, Norway, Skretting ARC has 60 highly skilled employees from ten different countries, many of them with postgraduate qualifications. In addition Skretting ARC co-operates with universities and research institutions worldwide.