The Placentia Bay Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Project has two primary components: a land-based Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) Hatchery located in the Marystown and sea cage sites located in the northern portion of Placentia Bay that will be used to grow salmon to market size. At the RAS Hatchery, smolt will be grown to sizes ranging from 350–1,400 g and then transferred to a well boat and delivered directly to sea cage sites.
Technology: Grieg NL will use state-of-the-art technology in both its RAS Hatchery and sea cage sites. Grieg NL will use the adoption/adaption of new and innovative proven technologies including; vaccination machine, sea cages, RAS system, hybrid barges, remote monitoring in both aspects of operations. Grieg NL is also committed to acquiring accreditation and implementing Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) through an international and proven third-party aquaculture certification program.
All Female Sterile Atlantic Salmon: After careful consideration of current research and development Grieg NL concluded that the use of sterile triploid all-female Atlantic salmon was the ideal choice for its proposed operations in Placentia Bay. The main factors for moving into full scale production of sterile triploid all-female Atlantic salmon in Placentia Bay for Grieg NL include; performance, environmental conditions, availability, and feed. All female sterile Atlantic salmon are means to sustainably provide healthy and nutritious seafood while minimizing environmental impacts, supporting economic growth and contributing to the development of local communities.
Water Use and Large Smolt: RAS Hatchery can be supplied by available groundwater sources, filtered to eliminate any entry of diseases or parasites, heated/chilled if needed, and only uses 300 L of water per minute. Also, smolt will be reared well above the industry standard before entering the sea. This increased size greatly reduces the production time in the sea. The approach reduces the time required for fish to reach a harvestable size, while reducing stress and exposure to pathogens such as disease or sea lice. A shorter production time at sea can also decrease the organic deposits that are associated with sea-based culture of fish.
Environmental Protection : Grieg NL proposes to use a number of mitigation measures that go beyond the common industry standard. These mitigations include approaches such as the utilization of sterile triploid all-female Atlantic salmon to minimize effects on wild salmon, the use of lumpfish to control sea lice, and fallowing protocols that exceed government requirements.