Viking Magazine - February 2015 - 22

Norway's
Top 10
Seafood
Export
Markets
SOURCE:
NORWEGIAN
SEAFOOD COUNCIL
controlled. The big salmon farming
countries-Chile ranks second after
Norway-are all cold-water countries
for a reason. Salmon can't live above 18
degrees Celsius, 64 Fahrenheit. But even
below that temperature, warmth leads
to problems. The fish won't develop
the same collagen and connective tissue
that give great salmon its firm, meaty
texture. If the water is too cold, on
the other hand, their growth slows
way down. Farm operators would
love to maintain a steady 11 degrees
Celsius, 52 Fahrenheit, which is the
ideal temperature for efficient salmon
growth.
" It's warmer than that during the
summer months in most [Norwegian
waters], and much colder, down to 4
degrees [39 Fahrenheit] during winter
time, " Solberg says. " That's why we
can't supply the market with the same
amount of salmon every month. "
Norway does farm other fish, but
not as successfully yet. Cod have been
grown in large numbers, but abundant
wild-caught cod have driven prices
down and squeezed the profit out of
22 VIKING FEBRUARY 2015
sonsofnorway.com
farming. Biology presents challenges,
too. Solberg says newly hatched halibut
are like tiny bubbles that you'd barely
see in a glass of water, " so tiny that it's
very difficult to find something that can
feed them. "
Critics of fish farming say it's not
environmentally sustainable, citing
among other concerns concentrations
of waste that create dead zones in the
water, antibiotics in fish feed that reach
people's dinner plates, and disease in
farmed fish that passes to wild fish and
wipes out large numbers.
Norway has responded with stringent
standards for its farms, including a
ratio of no more than 2.5 percent fish
to 97.5 percent open water in fish
pens. In 2010, the Netherlands-based
Aquaculture Stewardship Council set
global sustainability standards for the
industry. As of early last year, National
Geographic reported a small percentage
of Norway's salmon farms have met the
group's standards, but much more is on
the way.
" In my profession, I get to see the
whole spectrum, and yes, there are
fish farms out there that are bad, "
says Paul Backer, chef de cuisine at
the Minneapolis restaurant Tilia.
Last summer, he was part of a cohort
of American chefs invited by the
Norwegian Seafood Council to tour fish
farms in Norway and try Norwegian
salmon and other seafood on his
restaurant menu. The salmon has
become a staple.
" I had never seen people that cared
about their products-or I should say,
cared about their fish-so much, "
Backer says. " It was clearly a labor
of love. "
SUPERFOOD SALMON!
Salmon provides nutrients that your
body needs for brain, heart and bone
health, including:
Omega-3 fatty acids
Vitamin A Vitamin B
Vitamin E Protein Niacin
SEE A RECIPE
for Aquavit-cured salmon with
mustard sauce on page 32.
BILLIONS OF NOK
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - February 2015

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