It often takes a combination of skills and knowledge in different areas to realise a project. That was certainly the case for the Smart Fishfarm. It all started when the Norwegian Billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke, owner of Aker ASA, had the idea to create an offshore salmon farm to – literally – take their farming to new waters. One has to know that in Norway salmon farmers are typically limited to licensed areas in the fjords and close to the coastline. And Røkke’s idea of a fish farm in the open ocean will enable the expansion of production. Røkke started as a simple fisherman and gradually build his approximately 5 Bn USD imperium with offshore companies. And his experience and expertise in this area he now seeks to couple to another company  SalMar ASA a company with a strong history I fish farming. And only through this combination of skills and expertise in the two different fields, the expansion to open seas became possible. They created a new company in which both skill sets are present, called SalMar Aker Ocean. On their landing page (in Norwegian language) they state: “Together we will create Norway’s new industrial adventure”.

And the company has just received approval from the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities to produce 9000 tons of salmon in the first production cycle.

“The farming industry is facing a new, and even more sustainable, era, and opens up the opportunity to use a new resource base with green production”, said Øyvind Eriksen, CEO of Aker.

This is yet another example where the combination of skill sets leads to creating something new. To aid this and make a significant contribution to this segment, EIT Food funded the AGAPE project which will develop an AI-based platform that allows to match jobs with skill sets and recommend individualised reskilling and upskilling options.