Grieg ordered to cull salmon after jellyfish attack

The instruction has come from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, which says that the cull must be carried out to protect fish welfare.

 

The “pearl normanet” scourge – otherwise known as string jellyfish or Apolemia uvaria – has returned with a vengeance again this winter, affecting a number of companies. Grieg has been hit quite hard this year.

 

A recent report in the in the scientific journal Aquaculture Environment Interactions said that the economic consequences of a jellyfish incident can be long-lasting.

 

The past year has seen an increase in zooplankton incidents (jellyfish and related organisms) causing fish kills and economic losses to aquaculture companies, particularly in Norway.

 

The Aquaculture Environment Interactions report says the stingers in the jellyfish tentacles can injure and even kill fish in pens. Although precautions against jellyfish blooms are increasingly used, the effects of jellyfish tentacles, which can easily break off and float into the cages, have not been taken into account.

 

The Grieg cages were attacked by the jellyfish at a Finnmark location, reportedly leading to the deaths of more than 120,000 fish, costing the company up to NOK 90 million (£6.3m).

The company said the situation at its Finnmark site had been demanding and it commended the staff for carrying out what has been a very difficult operation.

 

A Grieg statement said harvesting has been carried out for some time now.

 

It added: “The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has been kept informed on an ongoing basis, and has also been to the site on two occasions to gain insight into the situation for both the fish and how the employees are working on measures.”