The business activity is regulated by specific regulations which are harmonised with the aquaculture regulations. Capture-based aquaculture may be defined as "the obtaining of live animals from nature (from fry to adult phase) with the intention of storing or feeding them out to market size".
In contrast to classical aquacultural activities, you do not have control over the entire life cycle of the animals. The aim is to increase the added value of the catch in the form of increased biomass, enhanced raw material quality and the opportunity to perform strategically in relation to the market (you determine when the fish will be slaughtered and sold). On a global basis, capture-based aquaculture accounts for 20 percent of the total volume of farmed fish.
The goals of our research are to develop concepts to catch, transport, store and feed out wild fish and shellfish. We have worked with a series of species, the most important of which are cod, saithe, haddock, mackerel, charr, sea urchins and king crabs. In 2006, statistics from the fishing fleets showed that in some instances the coastal fishermen increased the value of their cod quotas by 35-40 percent by delivering their catch live.
Capture-based aquaculture covers topics previously referred to as "catch of live fish", "live fish technology" "live seafood" and "feeding out", but these notions do not adequately cover the objective of the activity. Some use the notion "catch-based aquaculture." Business wise and research wise, this area is extremely interdisciplinary and supply chain-oriented, from catch to processing and market. The institute has carried out research in this area for more than 20 years, and many of these activities have been implemented in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research.
