The grandfather started a small aquaculture farm with his sons almost 50 years ago. The entire family were so-called fisher-farmers, who made a living through a combination of agriculture and fishing, and thought that ‘feeding some fish’ could be a kind of additional income.
“There were probably some who thought they were a bit crazy for mortgaging their house and betting on this. And it was indeed very tough for those who started. Many lost money, and there were lots of bankruptcies. Only those with the most nerve made it through the rough patch,” says Lars Måsøval.
Lars has lived on Frøya his entire life, and although he enjoys traveling, there’s no better place on earth than his hometown.
“It’s not without reason that the oldest settlements in the country have been found here on Frøya. Frøya is located far out at sea, and the ocean currents bring in lots of fresh and nutrient-rich water, so the fish thrive here! There are no other places in the world better for aquaculture than here,” he concludes with certainty.
In 1978, uncle Bjørn and his father, Karsten, took over the operation of the company. His father is an exceptionally engaged retiree, but the company is now led by Asle Rønning. Lars Måsøval is the chairman of the board in the parent company Måsøval AS and the CEO of the property company Måsøval Eiendom AS. He has had aquaculture in his blood since birth and often takes trips out to the fish pens.
“The guys who work at the facility here are out in all kinds of weather. You can easily experience more than one season per day,” he says – and he’s not joking. On our short tour, we first experienced both autumn and winter, before it suddenly turned into a real spring atmosphere at the end of the day.
“Our job is to ensure that the fish are doing well, and to create the best conditions. But otherwise, we let nature do the job, as it always has.”
And nature apparently does a good job here on Frøya, because today Måsøval produces two million salmon meals every single week – year-round.
