Mowi moves to reclaim licences with major expansion of closed-containment farming

NORWAY – Mowi is accelerating its shift toward closed containment aquaculture, announcing plans to order four new sea-based post-smolt facilities in western Norway as part of its strategy to recover licences lost under the country’s environmental traffic light system. 

The development, disclosed in the company’s third-quarter 2025 results, marks one of its most significant commitments to low-impact farming technology to date.

The initiative follows the Norwegian government’s introduction in October of a new environmental technology incentive scheme. 

The policy allows salmon farmers to regain previously withdrawn biomass licences in high-risk “red zones,” but only if fish are raised in closed systems that meet strict environmental criteria.

Mowi confirmed that 10.5 of its licences had been revoked under the traffic light framework, which regulates production based on environmental indicators such as sea lice levels. 

The company said the four additional sea-based units planned for Region West will allow it to recover 2.6 licences. 

Although a timeline has not been provided, the company noted that the new units are intended for post-smolt production and will complement existing infrastructure.

A spokesperson said the company has already invested in six closed facilities designed to produce larger, more robust post-smolt “in order to improve harvest volumes, cost and survival rate.”

Heavy investment on land and at sea

The sea-based expansion adds to Mowi’s substantial investment in land-based post-smolt systems. Earlier this year, the company inaugurated a NOK 600 million (approximately US$55 million) facility at its freshwater site in Haukå, describing it as “one of the world’s most extensive post-smolt facilities.”

At the time, Mowi stated it had “invested almost two billion kroner (around US$180 million) in three facilities along the coast so far, with plans to invest in four other facilities that will increase the number of post-smolts by a further 20 million.”

Through its acquisition of Nova Sea, Mowi has also become the majority owner of a new 6,000-tonne RAS post-smolt facility in Kilvik, northern Norway. 

The site is expected to deliver its first post-smolt in the second quarter of 2026 and reach full production in 2027.

Industry shift gains momentum

Mowi’s expansion comes amid similar moves by other major producers. SalMar and Lerøy Seafood recently announced joint plans to commission six new Aquatraz C2 closed-containment units. 

SalMar CEO Frode Arnsten said, “If everything goes according to plan, the first fish will be released into these units in the first quarter of 2027, with full operation from 2028.”

As Norway tightens environmental regulations and rewards innovation, the industry appears to be rapidly embracing closed systems as a path to both compliance and future growth.

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