Arctic Oddi, a subsidiary of Icelandic salmon operator Arctic Fish, has acquired a new building at the quayside of Westfjords fishing port Bolungarvík with the intention of converting it into a salmon slaughter facility.
The company has announced that its aim was to ensure that it had a building at its disposal. The building had been erected for Fiskmarkaður Bolungarvíkur.
‘By acquiring these premises, which are suitable for this activity and which are almost complete, we have a possibility to establish a slaughter house capable of coping with production,’ said Arctic Fish managing director Stein Ove Tveiten.
There has been considerable debate in Iceland’s Westfjords over the expansion of the salmon sector. Arctic Fish is reported to have been planning to set up in other locations in the region, but has been forced to reconsider the options.
According to the company, the question of slaughter facilities have been under discussion for some time, and the intention has been to establish one large facility that can handle the bulk of its production in the Westfjords region.
‘Several locations have been under consideration, as has co-operation with other aquaculture producers concerning initiatives in a number of rural districts,’ the company states, setting out that it is not possible to predict how long these processes could take, while construction could be expected to be a two-year process.
‘At the same time, production is increasing rapidly and current slaughter facilities are limited. As a result, it has not been possible to meet the entire demand for slaughtering. The company needs to ensure it has increased access to slaughter facilities as soon as possible,’ the company states.
