2026-10-19 03:55Press release

Ragn-Sells at COP17: Nutrient pollution threatens biodiversity and fish production 

COP17 logo

Global fish farming needs to expand to meet growing demand for food. But waste from fish farms can cause nutrient pollution, threatening biodiversity and limiting further growth. The issue will be in focus as Swedish environmental company Ragn-Sells takes part in the UN biodiversity summit COP17 in Armenia, which begins today. 

“By collecting and recycling nutrients released from fish farms, we could potentially double or even triple fish production without increasing nutrient pollution. This would make a major difference to both food security and biodiversity,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells. 

Representatives from around the world will meet in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October for COP17, the UN biodiversity summit, to discuss how to halt biodiversity loss. Under the global biodiversity agreement reached in 2022, countries agreed, among other things, to reduce excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half by 2030. On 25 October, Ragn-Sells will take part in a seminar at the Nordic Pavilion on how nutrient recycling in fish farming can help increase production without worsening eutrophication. 

Fish farms generate waste containing phosphorus and nitrogen. When these nutrients enter the water, they can cause eutrophication, leading to oxygen depletion and threatening biodiversity. The problem is already evident in Norway, where farmed salmon is a major export. In March, Norwegian authorities rejected nine applications for new or expanded fish farms in Hardangerfjord over concerns that additional discharges could harm the fjord’s environment. 

“There is a clear conflict here. We need more food from the oceans, but we cannot keep increasing the pressure on aquatic environments. If fish farming is to grow, nutrient emissions must fall,” says Pär Larshans. 

In Norway, Ragn-Sells Havbruk is developing technology to collect nutrient-rich fish sludge from fish farms on land and at sea. The sludge could be used to produce both biogas and fertiliser for agriculture. The company is also developing a process to recover phosphorus from fish sludge using its Ash2Phos technology, with the aim of using the recovered phosphorus in new fish feed. 

But current regulations limit the use of fish sludge and recovered nutrients in both fertilisers and animal feed. Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, recently announced that the government is working to clarify the rules to make it easier to recover resources from fish farm sludge.  

“We must prevent nutrients from entering the sea while also making it possible to reuse them. EU rules need to allow phosphorus and nitrogen to be safely recovered instead of letting these resources go to waste,” says Pär Larshans. 

For more information, contact:  
Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ragn-Sells Group, will be in Yerevan from 23 to 27 October and available for comment, +46 70 927 29 63, par.larshans@ragnsells.com  
Debby Porter Laffitte, Press Officer, Ragn-Sells Group, +46 10 723 24 16, press@ragnsells.com  
 

Facts: UN biodiversity summit COP17 

What
The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. 
When and where
19–30 October 2026, Yerevan, Armenia. 
Purpose 
To review the world's shared goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. 
Background: In 2022, countries agreed on a global framework with 23 biodiversity targets to be achieved by 2030. Target 7 aims to reduce pollution that harms biodiversity. This includes at least halving the amount of excess nutrients released into the environment. 
Ragn-Sells' participation
On 25 October, Ragn-Sells will take part in a seminar co-organised with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and research institute NORCE on how nutrient recycling from fish farms can reduce eutrophication and create conditions for increased food production. 

More information about COP17: https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2026 
About the Nordic Pavilion: https://www.norden.org/da/node/99494 
About Ragn-Sells: https://www.ragnsells.com/  

 

 

Topics: Debate & Opinion

About Ragn-Sells Group

The environmental company Ragn-Sells converts waste into raw materials that can be used over and over again. Ragn-Sells drives the transition to a circular economy through solutions that reduce its own and other actors' environmental and climate impact. Ragn-Sells is a family owned corporate group founded in 1881. The company operates in five countries and employs over 2,700 people. In 2025, Ragn-Sells’ turnover was 9,120 MSEK. www.ragnsells.com

Contacts

Press Officer
Notified logoPowered by Notified