Bioretur: fish waste to fertiliser

• Published 15 December 2022; updated 21 September 2026; estimated reading time 2 minutes.
• Solution: on-site treatment of fish sludge from land-based and closed aquaculture facilities, producing fertiliser and other usable resources, including biogas substrates.
• Feedstock described: uneaten feed and fish faeces; nutrients include phosphorus and nitrogen, while the sludge may also contain zinc, nickel and cadmium.
• Challenge described: more land-based and closed aquaculture facilities generate growing volumes of sludge; sea disposal can contribute to eutrophication and wastes nutrients. The page cites annual Norwegian releases of 27,000 metric tonnes of nitrogen and 9,000 tonnes of phosphorus from fish farms.
• Process: treatment plants clean, dewater and dry sludge on site, changing it from 0.1% dry matter to a powder at 90% dry matter.
• Service model: plant leasing, remote operation and maintenance, transport, handling and processing of the sludge.
• Reported outputs and benefits: wastewater from installations is described as clean; recovered sludge is used for soil improvement, fertiliser and biogas. The page says this can reduce chemical fertiliser use and marine pollution. It names Minorga natural fertiliser, distributed in Vietnam where the page says farmland has little phosphorus.
• Market information reported: in 2018, 2,000 of Norway’s 18,000 awarded fish-farming licences were for land-based facilities. The company anticipates growth in Norway and names Canada, the US, Iceland, New Zealand, Scotland, Russia, Chile and emerging markets.
• Customers named: Grieg Seafood, Mowi and Russian Aquaculture.
• Recognition: 2019 Sustainability Award at the Aquaculture Awards.
• Contact shown: Hermund Ramsøy, Marketing Director, hermund@bioretur.no. Company address: Nesttunvegen 102, 5221 Nesttun, Norway.
• Listed industries: aquaculture and fisheries; circular economy. The page links to UN Sustainable Development Goals 9, 12 and 14.

Additional captured detail 1

• Published 15 December 2022; updated 21 September 2026; 2-minute read. Bioretur supplies treatment plants and services for land-based and closed aquaculture. Its plants clean, dewater and dry fish sludge on site, increasing dry matter from 0.1% to a concentrated powder at 90% dry matter. Its service agreement includes leasing, remote operation and maintenance, plus waste transport, handling and processing. A Bergen team remotely operates the installations.
• The sludge contains nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, alongside contaminants including zinc, nickel and cadmium. Bioretur says its approach recovers nutrients for fertiliser, soil improvement and biogas feedstock, reduces chemical-fertiliser use and marine pollution, and lowers fish farmers’ emissions. It says treated wastewater is clean; products include the Minorga natural fertiliser, distributed in Vietnam where farmland has low phosphorus levels.
• The page cites Norwegian annual releases from fish farms of 27,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 9,000 tonnes of phosphorus. It names Grieg Seafood, Mowi and Russian Aquaculture as clients and notes Bioretur won the 2019 Aquaculture Awards Sustainability Award. Market and licence counts in the article are historical (including 2018 figures). The company links the work to UN SDGs 9, 12 and 14.
• Public contact: Hermund Ramsøy, Marketing Director, hermund@bioretur.no, +47 997 15 127. Company: BIORETUR AS, Nesttunvegen 102, 5221 Nesttun, Norway; bioretur.no/en/.
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