Nofima names new aquaculture head

Norwegian research institute Nofima has appointed Linn Anne Bjelland Brunborg to the post of Director, Aquaculture Division, starting 1 January. She was previously General Manager of Orkla Ocean, a Norwegian company set up to develop seaweed farming for food and related products. Bjelland Brunborg studied human nutrition at the University of Bergen and started her…

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Call for labelling to identify salmon diseases

The Norwegian Consumer Council says customers should be told when salmon sold in shops have a history of illness. But the industry has come out strongly against the idea, arguing that fish diseases do not affect humans. Norway’s salmon farmers have been particularly badly affected by various biological diseases such as infectious salmon anaemia (ISA)…

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Bakkafrost to postpone some slaughtering as profits drop

The Bakkafrost Group delivered a total operating EBIT or operating profit of 269 million Danish kroner (£31m) during the Q3 July to September period this year, down from DKK 325m (£37m) 12 months ago. With lower harvests from the Faroe Islands and problems in Scotland, the results were not unexpected, but the company has also…

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Italians turning to salmon – that’s amore!

Italy is falling in love with salmon in a big way, says the Norwegian Seafood Council. Export figures show that the country has been leading the way in terms of growing demand in the run up to Christmas. Measured in euros, Italy is now the third largest growth market after Poland and Denmark, Europe’s two…

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€100m growth related loan facility secured for Arnarlax

Icelandic Salmon has successfully secured a sustainably linked €100m (£87m) bank facility through its subsidiary Arnarlax. Chief financial officer Jónas Heiðar Birgisson said the facility will support the company’s growth strategy and enhance operational flexibility. It is also aimed at refinancing existing loans. The arrangement was carried out in collaboration with DNB, Danske Bank, and…

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Lerøy sites hit by mass mortalities

Calls are growing for a full investigation into large scale deaths at a Lerøy salmon farm sites in Norway. Thousands of fish are reported to have died in recent weeks from gill disease and possibly other health issues. Lerøy has said it is taking the incidents very seriously and is working hard to find out what…

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Statt Torsk losses continue to rise despite revenue growth

Cod farmer Statt Torsk, which is merging with the whitefish producer Vesterålen Havbruk, has reported a more than fourfold increase in its third quarter turnover, but the company continues to be loss-making. Revenues increased from NOK 3.2m (£235,000) a year ago to NOK 14.1m (just over £1m) this time. This improvement did not, however, prevent…

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Mowi feed plant hit by dust gas blast

An explosion has seriously damaged a Mowi feed factory in Norway causing considerable damage to the top of the building. Fortunately, no-one was injured and the site, which opened nine years ago, has now been evacuated. The incident took place in the Ørland municipality in the Trondelag region. Local news site VG.no reports that there…

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Norwegian salmon exports break NOK 100bn barrier

The value of Norwegian salmon exports has now passed the NOK 100 billion (£7.4 bn) mark in 2023, which was the figure for all the country’s overseas seafood sales only four years ago. Commenting on the October results, Christian Chramer, CEO of the country’s Seafood Council said that once again high salmon prices and a…

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Salmon farmers on alert for deadly jellyfish

A warning has gone out about the appearance of a particularly vicious type of jellyfish along the Norwegian coast which can have a devastating effect on salmon. Called Perlesnormanet (Pearl Norman, Latin name Apolemia uvaria), it has led to the mass death of salmon in the past. According to the Norwegian Marine Research Institute there…

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