In April, Grieg Seafood Newfoundland officially opened its Placentia Bay-based facilities, located in Marystown.
On hand for the occasion was Grieg CEO Andreas Kvame, as well as representatives from the provincial and federal governments and other dignitaries including Norwegian Ambassador to Canada, Jon Elvedal Fredriksen.
“We are very pleased to have reached the point in our growth where we can celebrate our grand-opening,” said Knut Skeidsvoll, Managing Director, Grieg Seafood Newfoundland.
“I am particularly proud of the accomplishments of our local team over the past seven years in building this project. We look forward to our region being a contributor towards the bright future of the aquaculture industry in Newfoundland.”
The plant includes a grow-out facility, with the first fish expected to be transferred into the ocean this spring and summer.
Last year’s initial transfer was delayed to this season after a suspected detection of infectious salmon anemia (ISA). All subsequent samples were analyzed and came back negative, but the company decided to postpone the transfer under an abundance of caution.
First harvest is expected next year. The facility currently employs about 85 people from Marystown and the surrounding area.
Human resources manager with Grieg Seafood, Perry Power, says the company is here to stay.
He says a facility like this one takes a significant investment, which shows that the parent company is here for the long term. He says it will provide a sustainable industry with good-paying jobs for decades to come.
In 2015, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to exclusively produce Atlantic salmon on seawater grow-out sites across four areas of Placentia Bay was signed with the Province of Newfoundland and the project received Environmental Impact Study (EIS) approval in August 2018.
A high-end recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility is in operation with a planned post-smolt facility to be constructed in the near future. The company has secured eight marine site licenses in surrounding Placentia Bay.
