Kungsfenan - The Swedish Seafood Award

The 2011 Innovator of the Year Award goes to Josef Nygren,
a successfull fish farmer from Vilhelmina in Northern Sweden.
The prize is 30,000 Swedish crowns.

Fish farming is one of the world's fastest growing forms of food
production and half of all fish destined for our tables is produced in
this way. Until recently, Sweden has been a notable exception to this
development. Josef Nygren has shown with his business in Vilhelmina in Northern Sweden that cultivation of high-quality fish is possible – and in Sweden too!

Josef Nygren's cultivation of, for example, char has been recognised
both locally and nationally. He has shown that it is possible to make a
successful business of producing high-quality, environmentally-friendly food, while contributing towards the development of the region.

The latest development in the company's expansion is the construction of their own fish plant in Vilhelmina, which coincides with the increase of international exports to Russia and the EU. The creation of the fish plant has doubled the number of local jobs. Josef Nygren's business not only highlights that aquafarming has great potential, but it is an example of a future industry for Sweden as a food nation.