Fifax’ ramp-up advances – the second egg batch has arrived to Eckerö

Fifax Plc, Web article, 20 June 2023

Fifax celebrated another joyful moment on Tuesday as the second egg batch arrived in Eckerö.

“The eggs landed at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport yesterday, where they were warmly welcomed by our Fish Master Eevertti. After customs clearance, the journey continued to the Turku Harbour, and onwards by ferry to Åland” says Samppa Ruohtula, Fifax’ CEO.

Since the restart of farming operations in March, a total of 1,600,000 eggs have been brought to the Eckerö facility.

“The development of the first batch of eggs has been very good since its arrival in March. We are even slightly ahead of schedule compared to our growth target.”

The first batch has already been transferred from the hatchery and the so-called first feed tanks to the actual fingerling unit, where all tanks are now in use.

During the growing process, planned technical investments have been carried out in both the hatchery and the fingerling unit. These investments are related to water treatment, biosecurity, and the feeding system. The capacity of the hatchery is also increased, and the hatchery space has been expanded during the past 1.5 weeks.

“We implemented the expansion of the space as soon as the last fish were moved from the first feed tanks to the fingerling unit,” Ruohtula explains.

Shift work has been implemented at the facility

The care of eggs and fingerlings now takes place in three shifts around the clock to ensure continuous monitoring of the well-being of the fish. This commitment is already reflected in the further improved water quality and the favorable fingerling growth, which bodes well for future growth.

“The fish from the first batch have already reached a weight of a few grams and have the length of a finger. The growth in this early stage is extremely fast, and it is great to follow the growth.”

The third batch of eggs is expected to arrive in September.

“If everything goes according to plan, the first batch now growing in the fingerling unit will then be moved forward again, and we will start the first of the three actual Grow Out units,” says Ruohtula.

Currently, planned improvements related to biosecurity and the further development of water treatment are being carried out in that particular unit.

Ruohtula is pleased with the progress of the restart.

“It’s fantastic to see more and more tanks in operation. I am proud of our team, who have quickly embraced the new working methods. It is directly visible in the fish’s growth. We will continue from here on a positive note.”