Exposed Aquaculture in Norway

Farming of Atlantic salmon in exposed areas poses unique challenges to operations, structures and equipment due to severe and irregular wind, wave and current conditions, and sheer remoteness. Many of the operational challenges seen at present sheltered sites are likely to be amplified when moving production to more exposed locations. There is, however, a strong Norwegian industrial interest in utilizing such areas. A new research center, the Exposed Aquaculture Operations center has been initialized to develop competence and technology to address the challenges. Six core research areas are identified that will be crucial to address the challenges with exposed farming, with a focus on the industrial status in Norway. Four areas target technological innovations that will enable safe and reliable exposed aquaculture operations: 1) Autonomous systems and technologies for remote operations, 2) Monitoring and operational decision support, 3) Structures for exposed locations and 4) Vessel design for exposed operations. Two areas represent core requirements for sustainable production: 5) Safety and risk management and 6) Fish behavior and welfare. This paper describes the research needs and the research strategy planned for the Exposed Aquaculture Operations center.