First Water launches sales of 5 kg land-based salmon.
Icelandic land-based aquaculture company First Water has begun harvesting and packing 5 kg salmon for export, with initial sales going to buyers in the United States and Europe.
The company, based in Þorlákshöfn, has commissioned four of its planned eight 25-meter covered tanks, part of an investment programme of about EUR 56 million in 2025. First Water expects the first of six development phases to be completed in 2027, each designed to deliver capacity of around 10,000 tonnes of gutted salmon annually.
The tanks use geothermal seawater and are designed to limit external stress factors and reduce biosecurity risks. First Water also operates a purification system that returns seawater cleaner than intake levels. All operations are powered by renewable geothermal and hydroelectric resources.
The company has also opened a processing plant at Þorlákshöfn harbour, with annual capacity for 20,000 tonnes of gutted salmon.
CEO Eggert Þór Kristófersson said growth rates had exceeded expectations, with 94 percent of fish graded as premium quality.