The Norwegian government is holding a new salmon auction later this month, with a minimum price of NOK 170,000 (around £1,260) per tonne in all production areas.
The event will take place on 24 June and will be preceded by two trial auctions on 18 and 20 June with both expected to last around three hours. Participants are being urged to take part in these trials.
The last auction was held in October and raised NOK 1.5bn (around £113m). A permit sale held a year earlier, however, fell far short of expectations in protest against the salmon tax. Such protests are unlikely to apply this time and the sale is expected to attract considerable support, as companies bid to increase their production ambitions..
Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Næss said auctions are an efficient way of ensuring large revenues for the state and those municipal areas where fish farms are based.
The sale will also include in-built environmental safeguards and will be in areas that are acceptable, she stressed.
The Minister added: “Aquaculture is an industry with high value creation that creates many jobs along the coast.
“This contributes to increased value creation, exports and jobs in the districts. Auctions are an efficient way of allocating permits and have historically secured large revenues for the state and municipal sector.”
The Directorate of Fisheries said registration is now open, with the deadline set for this Friday, 14 June.
The Directorate also said it was available to answer questions on how the sale will be executed.