🐟 Aquaculture (salmon farms): roles, shifts, safety — a clear start

From the feed centre to working on a boat with net pens, the salmon industry offers many entry points for newcomers. There are roles at sea and on shore: farms, hatcheries (smolt), feed mills, logistics and the service fleet. Below are four practical sections: starting positions, shift patterns and safety, where there are currently more vacancies (and where to live), as well as which skills are easily transferable from engineering, IT and logistics. Links to regulators, industry portals and real vacancies are provided.

🎯 What entry-level positions are available in aquaculture without relevant experience?

Offshore site (broodstock salmon/moulds):

• Aquatechnician/farm operator (driftstekniker/akvatekniker) — feeding control, fish monitoring, basic equipment maintenance, HSE/fish farming records. These roles are usually classified as ‘junior’ and are recruited in coastal communities. Some vacancies immediately specify 7/7 or 14/14 shifts and even provide accommodation for shift workers.
• Feeding operator (fôr) — work in a centralised ‘feed centre’ with video surveillance systems/sensors.

Shore and auxiliary sites:

• Incubator/smolt facility (settefisk) — maintenance of equipment, monitoring of water parameters, sanitation. Internal control and HSE requirements for such facilities are formalised.
• Warehouse/logistics — receiving/shipping feed and materials; a truck licence (T1–T4) is an advantage.
• Feed mills — process and technical positions at Mowi Feed, BioMar and others; example — recent job ads for Myre (Vesterålen).

Fleet and service:

• Service vessels/wellboats — supply, transport of live fish; separate rules apply to aquaculture transporters and unit approvals, which are the responsibility of the supervisory authority.

⏱️ What are the shifts and conditions like on salmon farms?

At sea locations, 7/7 and 14/14 shift schedules (week on, week off or ‘two on, two off’) are common — this is directly mentioned in job descriptions for aquaculture technicians, sometimes with accommodation and meals for ‘pendlers’.

Environment and risks. The work is outdoors, with water and machinery: slippery decks, cold, loading/hoses, vessel movement. There are basic safety courses for farm employees (water rescue, first aid with an emphasis on hypothermia, fire training) run by industry training centres.

Mandatory framework. The operation of sites and the welfare of fish are governed by drift net regulations; the technical standard for net pens and anchor systems is NYTEK/NS 9415 (a regulatory framework designed to prevent fish escapes and ensure structural safety).

Communication and small fleet. For some tasks, VHF/SRC radio certificates are useful, and for jobs on workboats, D6 (deck officer class 6) is often desirable — this is clearly stated in the job advertisements.

📍 Which regions have the most vacancies and where can you live near the facilities?

Where are the most vacancies? Aggregators show steady demand in coastal counties: for example, the ‘Fiskeri og oppdrett’ section on FINN currently has dozens of active ads, including for Møre og Romsdal and Nordland. The search page shows the distribution by region and a list of companies (Nova Sea, SalMar, etc.).

Why these coasts in particular? According to supervisory authorities, a significant proportion of marine sites and salmon biomass are located in Nordland, Trøndelag, and Møre og Romsdal, as can be clearly seen in open maps and biomass statistics.

Where to base yourself ‘for a month’ (practical advice):

• Sunnmøre (near Ålesund): convenient rear base for shifts at sea and onshore facilities; offices/sites of industry companies nearby. Examples: new locations and onshore facilities approved for development in the area are confirmed by regulatory documents.
• Vesterålen/Lofoten and Salten (Nordland): working bases — Svolvær, Leknes, Sortland, Bodo. For travel around Nordland, there is the Travel Pass Nordland (7 days of buses + express boats, purchased in the Reis app; boat reservations are free).
• Helsinki (Sandesøen/Brønnøysund): express boat and ferry hub; official tourist resources for the region link directly to the same travel tools (timetables, passes, ‘free ferries’ on selected routes).

Life hack: some employers have staff housing or housing arrangements for shift workers — check this in the offer; some ads explicitly mention ‘boliger for pendlere’ (housing for commuters).

🛠️ What skills are transferable from related industries (engineering, IT, logistics)?

• Engineering/automation. PLC/SCADA, electrical engineering, sensors and pumping equipment are in demand in incubators, feed lines and the service fleet. This can be seen in the ‘control/systems’ job listings of equipment manufacturers and operators.
• IT/data. In feed centres — video systems, fish behaviour analytics, telemetry; experience in Python/SQL, network video and GIS is a plus.
• Logistics/warehousing. A T1–T4 truck licence and warehouse experience immediately increase your chances in feed mills and onshore bases.
• Maritime safety and communications. Basic HMS courses for aquaculture + VHF/SRC will facilitate access to roles at sea; some shipboard tasks may require a maritime certification (see D6).

✅ Quick entry plan

1. Filter jobs by location and keywords on FINN/NAV (‘oppdrett/akvakultur’, ‘driftstekniker/akvatekniker’, “settefisk”, ‘logistikk’).
2. Safety and regulations: check out the ‘safety for fish farming’ course (water rescue, first aid, fire safety) and the requirements of Driftsforskriften + NYTEK/NS 9415.
3. Shifts and living conditions: check the schedule — 7/7 or 14/14 — and whether accommodation/meals are provided for commuters; this is often specified directly in the advertisement.
4. Where to live: for Møre og Romsdal — the base around Ålesund; for Nordland — ‘hub’ cities with frequent transport (Bodo, Sortland, Svolvær/Leknes) + Travel Pass Nordland.

Aquaculture is a clear ‘career ladder’ next to the ocean: with ‘junior’ positions on farms and in incubators, shift work and a clear safety system. Start by filtering by location and job type, complete the basic courses, ask about accommodation and schedules, and choose the coast where it is most convenient to live and commute to the sites. With this approach, your first contract becomes a sure path to more technical and managerial roles, with experience both at sea and on shore.