ABOUT RØST SJØMAT

The Story

Røst Sjømat AS started its career with salmon farming, then under the name Røst Lakseslakteri. Here, salmon farming and salmon slaughter were the main focus, with some purchases of whitefish during the winter season. 

The fish farm was then located on a small island 150 meters from the Røstlandet itself, Prestholmen. Logistics were difficult, and a decision to put the salmon away and focus only on whitefish was made. A new chapter was to be started - Røst Sjømat AS.

One of the oldest piers on Røst, old "Isdal", was bought by the Johansen brothers. The pier was in somewhat poor condition, and had to be completely renovated. A larger and more modern production facility was also built in addition to the old fish farm.

Over the years, we have constantly taken steps towards more and more efficient production. Gutting machines are in full swing all winter, which is almost mandatory to have at a fish factory today. A larger cold room and modern office space have also been built. Ice machine has also been upgraded. What has made us most efficient are conveyor belts and tanks for storage throughout production. When the fish is bought at the quay, it goes straight into 3 large water tanks on the quay, then transported in via conveyor belts to the gutting machines. Further from there, the fish goes in a new tank with a conveyor belt, and is weighed in batch weight. From the batch weight, the fish is released on conveyor belts that take it through the entire production facility and are distributed either in tanks or tubs. All this has caused the fish to "float" through the room, and minor damage is done to the fish. We have also minimized truck driving, and manual notes of weights on fish, liver and roe have been replaced with digitized and automated write-downs of all figures.

A vacuum pump has also been installed on the quay, which means that boats transporting fish in tanks can pump the fish directly from boat to tank. This has meant that we avoid pressure on the fish in the boats' containers, and the fish is allowed to float in water.

In 2018, we were approved to operate live storage of cod. This means that bigger boats fish for cod, and take care of the live cod which they then release into cages, which are located a few hundred meters from our production premises. The winter seasons today are very short, and live storage of fish means that we can "spread" fresh cod throughout the year.

In 2020, a separate hall was also built to store all the stockfish, with automated shelving throughout the hall. This means that we can store the stockfish in our own premises, and produce fresh fish all year round.

Since the start, Røst Sjømat has been developing everything we do, and we probably will not stop here. We will always be part of the development that takes place in the whitefish industry.

Røst Sjømat is today owned by the brothers Tore and Geir Børre Johansen together with their mother, Irene Johansen.