This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 5 2025.
In the seaport town of Hirtshals, -Denmark, a new trout farming operation is being pioneered by two Norwegian entrepreneurs, Samuel Muren and Håkon Volden, according to the fishsite.com. The project, called Onnest, is taking a multidisciplinary approach to trout farming that includes prioritising minimal waste, and transparency with the public. Their model of sustainability aims to integrate all parts of the production process into a closed, functioning loop. To achieve their goal of minimal waste, the farm will not rely on soy, a common ingredient in aquafeed, and instead will aim to produce feed from algae that is grown on site. This move will lower the farm’s carbon footprint and contribute to the circularity of the operation by maximising resource use and repurposing byproducts.
The operation plans to create products that not only benefit the environment but also improve human health. Onnest says that it wants to produce fish with a high omega-3 content through designing new feed and that its farming methods will minimise fish mortality. The company will also educate consumers on Onnest’s sustainable farming methods.