Samonix partners with Sweden’s Smögenlax to advance land-based salmon farming in Quebec
Sophie Demers
Smögenlax and Samonix have signed an agreement that will help advance the development of the Samonix salmon farm slated for Pontiac Industrial Park in Litchfield.
According to Samonix, the agreement allows them to use innovative technology in aquaculture systems created by Smögenlaxs. The land-based salmon farm will use Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) that recirculates water through advanced filtration and water treatment. The system will be used for large pools that will be used to farm salmon. The system ensures water remains free from contaminants or bacteria.
The use of these proprietary and patent-pending technologies from Smögenlax solidifies Samonix as long her development partners of the Swedish company in North America.
"This step represents an important day for Samonix. Smögenlax has recently made significant technological advances in aquaculture water treatment solutions. The partnership with Samonix demonstrates the credibility of our project. I am enthusiastic about this collaboration, which fits within an industry in full structural transformation”, said Mathieu Farley, President of Samonix Inc.
Farley explains that the technology will maximize the quality of the salmon while minimizing the environmental impact of land-based farming. “The agreement will assess whether the system can be implemented in whole or in part at our future Litchfield facility. For the moment, the exact scope of technology integration is still under study,” said Farley.
The construction of Salmon Farm will include a water treatment facility, a 13-acre main building that will allow the company to farm approximately 12,000 metric tons of salmon annually. The construction will necessitate between 80 and 100 acres of land. Samonix aims to be the largest producer of Atlantic salmon in land-based aquaculture facilities in Eastern Canada. The project is slated to be reviewed by Quebec’s Bureau d’Audiences Publiques sur l’Environment (BAPE)
“This is a recognition of our technical and innovative solutions based on our modular system of 2000 tonnes per year. Samonix brings strong local leadership, a great capacity for project development, and a long-term operational vision. Together we will combine the Swedish innovation in aquaculture with the North American enforcement force," said Joel Oresten, CEO of Smögenlax.
Samonix's mission is to develop land-based aquacultures, to raise fish locally, without antibiotics. The company is also focused on sustainability and ensuring that the project has a low environmental impact. The company states that the construction of the facility will create over 500 jobs, and once operational the salmon farm will create 100 jobs.