Our value chain

Juveniles​

Our production cycle starts by purchasing roe to be hatched at our own hatchery in Eidestøa by lake Skogseidvatnet. Choosing the right roe and genetic material is crucial. Two months after hatching we start feeding the fry in our own nursery located by Skogseidvatnet. At this stage, the fish live in fresh water in tanks on land. Continuous monitoring of the water quality is critical. We select feed of the highest quality and vaccinate the fish against known diseases, all to ensure that the fish has the best possible start of its life.

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Ongrowing​

After eight to 14 months the juveniles enters the smolt stage. This is the salmon’s way of preparing its body and organs for a life in the salty sea water. You can see the physiological changes on the color of the fish skin as this is when it gets its shiny silver suit. At this stage, the fish weighs around 100 to 200 grams and we carefully transfer it from freshwater to one of our seawater sites in the fjords of western Norway. With excellent care and feeding in the sea the fish grows to harvest weight of around 5 kilos in about twelve to fourteen months. To succeed in producing the best fish it is important to have the best tools and ingredients. We ensure this by only selecting the best roe, the newest vaccines and the highest quality feed, three key resources that we by from trusted suppliers. Through frequent dialog with them, we ensure that we are always at the forefront and able to apply the newest technology and innovations. The suppliers of roe, vaccines and feed are large companies with a global reach. In total, these purchases account for about 50% of our production costs.

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Harvesting and packaging​

When the fish reached harvest weight, the journey towards the market begins. The fish can either be slaughtered on the sea site by using a slaughter vessel, or the fish can be transported by a well-boat to a nearby packaging station. Both slaughter vessels and the packaging stations kill the salmon quickly and carefully. The fish are first anesthetized to ensure that the fish are not exposed to suffering, and to avoid stress which can also negatively affect the quality. The anesthetic process is done either with a blow to the head or with an electric current, before the gills are cut and the fish quickly bleeds out. This is the preferred methods in terms of securing fish welfare throughout the process. Each individual fish is then weighed, and quality checked, before it is packed in boxes and transported, either directly to the market, or for further processing such as filleting or smoking.

Sales and markets​

Most of the salmon produced in Norway, about 90%, is exported to other countries. In Eide we sell most of our fish to Norwegian exporters. The EU is the largest export market, while the US is the largest single market. In total, Norwegian salmon and trout from Eide is exported to over 100 different countries around the world!​

The approximately 20,000 tonnes of salmon that Eide produce each year amount to around 16,500 tonnes of gutted fish or around 10,000 tonnes of salmon fillets. If we assume that an average salmon meal consists of 150 grams of salmon fillet, then the fish from Eide makes up about 67 million meals each year, equivalent to two salmon dinners a week for all residents in the entire Vestland region of Norway!​

In addition, many exciting products are made from heads, offcuts and guts to ensure that nothing goes to waste, you can read more about that under the section on waste and circular economy.