Now Cermaq is forced to cull 900,000 young salmon

Cermaq has become the latest large Norwegian salmon company to be hit by a major biological issue. The company said yesterday it has been forced to cull 900,000 fish with wounds in six cages at its facility near Hammerfest. The fish weigh around 500 grammes on average. Earlier this week the Lerøy Seafood group reported…

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Lerøy loses 490,000 young salmon to ‘water quality’ issues

The Lerøy Seafood group has been affected by another biological incident which has led to the death of almost half a million young salmon in Norway. The deaths were reported at the Lerøy Sjøtroll facility at Kjærelva in Fitjar municipality in Sunnhordland. They are thought to be due to poor water quality. Lerøy Sjøtroll said…

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Norway’s farmed salmon and trout deaths hit new record

Well over a hundred million salmon and trout died prematurely from various causes in Norwegian fish farms last year, the country’s Veterinary Institute says in its annual fish health report. Infectious diseases and injuries were behind a majority of the deaths, accounting for around 70% of the total but other important factors were involved. The…

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Study shows how nitrates in RAS systems affect fish health

Turbot, scophthalmus maximus, Adult swimming

Exposure to nitrates can adversely affect the intestinal health of fish in RAS systems, a study by researchers in China has found. While it is well known that nitrates have a toxic effect, the study provides a detailed analysis of how nitrate (NO3) levels can have an impact at molecular level. A team of scientists…

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SalMar launches NOK 500m ‘Salmon Living Lab’

Aquaculture group SalMar has launched an ambitious innovation and research initiative, aimed at bringing different players in the salmon industry together for collaboration. SalMar is calling on industry leaders and others involved with salmon to come together in what it calls “Salmon Living Lab”, to share and learn. Cargill, the global food corporation, is the…

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Swedish private equity firm buys fish health specialist

Fish health business STIM has been acquired by Swedish investment firm Summa Equity, in a move STIM’s founder said would help the company to grow. STIM is the aquaculture industry’s largest quality supplier of fish health products and services, operating in Norway, Chile, UK, and Canada. Its gross revenue of the company was over €150m…

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Mowi criticised over Norwegian salmon mortality

Mowi is being taken to task by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority over the high number of salmon deaths in central Norway. According to the national broadcaster NRK, around 180,000 fish weighing an average of three kilos died at a single site in just a month (January this year), so the Authority has called on…

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ISA suspected at Lerøy site

Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) is suspected at a Lerøy Seafood site at Frøya in Norway’s Trondelag region. Lerøy Midt AS informed the Norwegian Food Safety Authority of its concerns last week, based on the results of PCR analysis carried out after samples were taken at the site. The operation there had already been closed due to bacterial…

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Applecross and wellboats leading Bakkafrost Scotland fightback

Increased treatment capacity and investment in the Applecross hatchery are enabling Bakkafrost to address fish health issues in its Scottish operations, the company has reported. “Dual treatment” – tackling sea lice and gill health issues at the same time in wellboats like the Ronja Star, pictured – is helping to improve fish gill health while…

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Grieg Q4 rocked by spiro, jellyfish and winter sores

Grieg Seafood worker on pen

Grieg Seafood is the latest Norwegian salmon farmer to report biological and jellyfish issues during the final quarter of 2023. The company, which was big in Scotland until three years ago, but now concentrates on Norway and Canada, recorded an operational (EBIT) loss of NOK 67 million (around £5m) against an operational profit of NOK…

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