Namibia goes for salmon gold

Namibia is to set up two salmon farms, aiming to make an impact on Africa’s aquaculture industry and to lead salmon production on the continent.

The country first announced plans for salmon farming early in 2024, at Lüderitz. The initial project, Benguela Blue Aqua Farming (BBA), is the brainchild of Austrian entrepreneur Johannes Aldrian. 

“We foresee operations will be fully functional at this site within 10 years,” says Aldrian. “Our goal is to purchase nearby land and reach annual production capacity at Lüderitz of 35,000t of salmon for export and local markets.” 

A second salmon player, the Norway-based African Aquaculture Company (AAC), was founded two years ago. It is targeting production of 51,000t annually. Its permits were granted a year ago. 

BBA intends to construct a jetty, offices, storage areas, hatching zones and processing units. Aldrian says salmon farming involves several stages onshore and offshore, each requiring various resources, facilities and equipment. 

Hatching, which takes place onshore, requires desalinated water. Once the fish weigh 150g, they are transferred to well-boats of 1,000m³ each. From here they will be pumped into large tanks and transported offshore to a self-sufficient facility that resembles an oil rig.

Salmon will also be harvested at this site, again using well-boats. The fish will be carefully removed from the cages once they weigh 4.5kg and transported to an onshore processing facility. 

It seems like a lot to bite off, considering salmon is not a naturally occurring species in Namibia. 

The two companies aim to replicate the success of salmon farming in Norway and Chile, two of the world’s leading producers of farmed Atlantic salmon, all based on Norwegian technology. 

A who’s who of Norwegian seafood industry experts led the AAC’s vision, in collaboration with former PwC partner Torben Foss and AAC’s Namibian partner, Clement Kaukuetu. 

Kaukuetu has 18 years’ experience in horse mackerel fishing. “The salmon dream was born six years ago when I met Foss,” he says. “Early on, we both recognised the potential for cultivating North Atlantic salmon in the pristine environments of Namibia and South Africa.” 

The Benguela current along the west coast of Southern Africa is cold and nutrient-rich, offering ideal conditions for salmon farming. Its characteristics are comparable to those of the Humboldt current off the coast of Chile, which supports a thriving aquaculture industry.

“These waters are optimal for high-quality Atlantic salmon production, while maintaining a natural environment conducive to sustainable farming,” says Kaukuetu. “The involvement of Norwegian aquaculture experts ensures international best practice.” 

The Norwegian aquaculture veterans are playing a significant role in financing and managing the initiative. AAC has committed to an overall investment of about N$8.5bn. This includes N$100m for the initial offshore pilot phase and N$125m for the full-field offshore development. Namibian investors have also committed to the first round of investment.

Significant funding is still needed to build offshore facilities, including cages, mooring systems, barges and well-boats. 

Freshwater hatcheries in South Africa and Norway will supply AAC’s hatchlings, known as smolt. 

“Namibia is the last frontier for salmon farming,” Kaukuetu says. “The long-term plan is to develop a parallel project in South Africa, which is still in the early stages. It will be a shore-based system on the west coast, not sea cages, due to the higher ocean energy levels further south.” 

The initial location is Fisantekraal, near Paarl. 

The planned annual production by AAC of 51,000t of Atlantic salmon is relatively small compared with Norway’s export volumes. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Norway exported 285,163t, a 16% year-on-year increase. Global salmon consumption has tripled since 1980. 

Salmon aquaculture represents 70% of the market, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Analysis by MarketWatch, a US website subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, predicts the value of the global salmon market will double from 2024 to 2033, reaching US$36bn. That would be a compound annual growth rate of 8%.

AAC aims to export high-value Atlantic salmon, targeting affluent markets in Europe, North America and Asia. Namibia’s proximity to European ports enhances its strategic position as a supplier. 

Additionally, AAC seeks to meet demand in Southern Africa, where it is hoped that rising incomes should boost demand for nutritious protein. 

Says Kaukuetu: “The project’s location along the Benguela current allows for the cost-effective production of premium-quality salmon at competitive prices. This positions Namibia as a potential hub for sustainable seafood production in Sub-Saharan Africa, capable of meeting local needs and global demand.” 

Aldrian is eyeing the continent as a whole. 

“Ultimately, this will become an Africa-funded project, with our product distributed across the continent,” he says. Africa’s population is about 1.4-billion, representing a huge market and a chance to help with food security. 

A UN report says the total global volume of fish and other aquatic animals harvested by farming “has topped the amount fished in the wild from the world’s waters for the first time” in mid-2024. 

However, the WWF warns that salmon farming, particularly the open-pen method, could have a negative impact on the environment and on certain other species. While it has the potential to feed more people using fewer resources than other protein sources, there are concerns about biodiversity loss. 

Chemicals and excess nutrients from salmon farms could disrupt the ocean’s ecosystems. Viruses and parasites could spread between farmed and wild fish, risking wild populations and other farms.

Aldrian says these concerns can be mitigated. He recently visited Norway to learn more about reducing environmental risks and noted that efforts include “escape-proof” cages where nothing can enter or exit. He says cameras will be installed at remote feeding stations to ensure minimal feed enters the ocean.

“Salmon farming is a sustainable and clean way to feed the world’s growing population. Moreover, BBA will not use any antibiotics. Our fish will be vaccinated and made resistant to pathogens.” 

BBA will follow the environmental management plan of Namibia’s ministry of agriculture, fisheries, water & land reform, which adheres to strict international codes.

“Given the specialised science required, Skretting, a Norwegian global leader in fish feed production, will source on our behalf and will publicly disclose the origin of its marine ingredients through its sustainability reporting,” says Kaukuetu. “Skretting already supplies a number of trout farms in South Africa, so it will be sourced directly from their facilities in South Africa.” 

A 2024 report by the NGO Feedback, titled “Blue Empire”, drew attention to the dichotomy at the heart of salmon farming — it’s not about who consumes the salmon, but what the salmon itself is fed. 

The report says the Norwegian salmon farming industry extracts nearly 2Mt of wild fish annually due to its feed footprint. And much of the fish oil used in this industry is sourced from northwest Africa, a region facing severe food insecurity. The wild fish are used to produce fish oil, a key ingredient in farmed salmon feed. 

The report says the oil “could have fed 4-million people for a year”. It adds that four main feed producers — Mowi, Skretting, Cargill and BioMar — supply nearly all the feed for Norwegian salmon farming, and all four source fish oil from northwest Africa.

Geir Kjensmo from the Norwegian Salmon Association says: “In our minds, there is no doubt that the most dangerous threat is the overfishing of key species in oceans around the world to feed the enormous demand for farmed salmon. This practice steals resources from the poorer populations to provide food for the richer.”

Not so, says AAC’s Foss. “We buy feed from producers who have a policy of using fishmeal and fish oil from stocks that are not overfished. We also believe that fish suitable for direct human consumption should be consumed as such, and not made into fishmeal and fish oil.” 

Aldrian has a different take on the issue. He says all the agriculture and natural products needed for BBA’s feed production can be produced locally. “This approach will also be cost-effective, especially since feed accounts for 60% of our overall costs.” 

AAC plans to employ 5,000 people across various phases of its operations. This includes direct employment in farming activities and indirect roles in logistics and processing. BBA aims to create 600 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.