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Kirkenes fish farm makes big catch in Russian markets

Oddbjørn Jerijærvi

A local success in fish farming in the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes shows what benefits can be found in cross border investment and business—with the right approach.

Location

With a quick laugh that adds credence to the lines in his face, Oddbjørn Jerijærvi brings a tough minded and passionate approach to fish farming. Because of that he’s creating a successful model of cross border entrepreneurship in the Barents region. Dressed in pylon orange overalls over a thin blue sweater and heavy rubber boots, Jerijærvi oversees the daily operations of this little fish farm tucked into the mountains above the small northern Norwegian city.

Jerijærvi and two others run Kirkenes Char, the local arctic char fishery that is making waves on an international scale. A shared venture between Russian, Finnish and Norwegian investors, the award winning fishery is a paragon of regional engagement in the Barents area.

The farm is a rare example of Russian investment into Norway and was set up with the express purpose of raising fish to sell to Russians. According to Jerijærvi, the owners are regional with business and connections in Russia.

-Russians are a fish eating people, said Jerijærvi.

He explained that his customers in Russia appreciate the high quality of fish produced on his farm. He adds they are also willing to pay more for it in Russia. The char would cost 15 EUR in Norway compared to 20 EUR or more in Russia.

Despite a few setbacks caused by the global recession, which hit Russia quite hard, the small fishery is thriving. There are plans to add on to the current operation in Kirkenes and to eventually open another farm in Murmansk.

-We love this fish, said Jerijærvi, as he walked along the grates set above tanks lit by bright fluorescent spotlights in the small farm building.

The green fish

Beneath the din of ice cold rushing water, the char live in vast green tanks organized by age and size. They are raised throughout the year to provide the best arctic char in the region to fish markets and customers in Russia. Kirkenes Char also supplies the Norwegian coastal steamer with fresh char throughout the year.

Arctic char, or finnmarksrøya, is ideal for fish farming.

-They call it the green fish, Jerijærvi explained.

Arctic char requires very little food and are raised in a relatively green way at Kirkenes Char. The contained tanks and fresh water that flows naturally from the mountain lake above mean that the relative environmental impact of this particular fish farm is minimal.

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The farm produces 120 tons of fish a year which is about 500,000 fish. They raise the best Norwegian arctic char in Norway. In its second year of operation, Kirkenes Char was awarded the best raw seafood product award by a jury of top chefs in the country. According to Jerijærvi the fishery’s success is in the details of the operation.

-We’re always looking for what can be done better tomorrow, he said. -If you don’t do that, you’re out of business, he added throwing his arms up for emphasis.

This includes conducting experiments to see what kind of light the fish develop better in. The tanks are also set up to make the fish swim constantly.

-We call it the training tank, said Jerijærvi over the rush of the water.

Along with a strict diet this makes for a very muscular and healthy fish to sell. The company also has a unique method of killing the fish that includes starving them for 14 days to clean out their insides which produces a tastier final product.

A farm where the fish never die

Not only are they large and tasty, but the fish at Kirkenes Char are robust and disease free, according to Jerijærvi. The char remained in the area during the ice age.

-It’s the only living thing that’s been here for tens of thousands of years, Jerijærvi said describing the large gleaming fish he raises.

Finnmark County had the highest amount of heart disease in its farmed fish in Norway from 2006-2008, but that is not an issue at this farm. Jerijærvi explains that char are an especially healthy breed of fish.

-If you can’t farm these, you can’t farm anything, he added. -We’ve never had any kind of parasites [here] and there probably will never be any either.

He explained that the fresh water used at the farm and a natural mucus coating on the fish make it hard for bacteria or other parasites to infest the char.

In its short history there has yet to be a disease related death at Kirkenes Char.

-It’s very rare to work in a fish farm that the fish never die, Jerijærvi said. -I lost one fish in December and I was very very sad because I picked it up weighed and checked it out and then threw it back in the tank and it hit the edge of the tank and it died.

Five months later J is still thinking about the fish he killed, but he still has 499,999 others to care for in the meantime.

Written by Chantaie Allick, with files from Margaret Cappa