Dr. Cecil Beamish:

Onshore fish farms have so-called RAS systems, which are relatively new and experimental. Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, did a study of them in the past couple of years and the commercial reality of salmon farming on contained systems is not established. Norway produces 1.2 million tonnes of salmon a year in sea cages and has not transformed into an onshore system. There is work going on looking at the possibility that the salmon smalls would be kept growing for a longer period in the hatcheries and grown to a bigger size before they go to sea. To move everything onshore is not proven anywhere at this point. The vast bulk of salmon farmed around the world is farmed at sea. In the Irish context, we have a high-cost energy environment and a relatively high temperature which are particular challenges in Ireland. Technology is evolving. It may well be that this is where it goes or it may go there for different stages of the life cycle. That is not a proven scenario at this stage.