Environmental challenges

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Loss of salmonids in Norwegian aquaculture

Bellona, 12/01-2009

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Source: The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries
In 2006 Norwegian aquaculture had a loss in production of 42 million salmonids. This constitutes a loss of 8.5 percent of the total production. Loss of fish is divided into the categories "dead fish", "bad quality", "escape", "other" and "counting error". The single largest cause of loss is related to dead fish, entire 85 per cent. In this category we find the fish that for some reason have died during production. Various diseases and parasites contribute greatly in this category. From a financial perspective there is an enormous potential in savings by steadily improve the fish health situation in Norwegian aquaculture. Bad quality represents 4 percent of the loss. This loss is due to that fish for some reason has for poor quality and thus is discarded from the normal production. In 2007 1.4 percent of the production escaped from fish farms. This varies slightly every year and last year escapes represented around 3 percent of the loss. The figure to the right shows the cause of loss in 2007, both as a percentage and the number of individuals.

The table below shows the historical development of the amount of fish lost in the Norwegian salmon production. The figures represent the loss in number of individuals and the percentage loss of the total production.

 

 Loss in production
Percent of production
1994
9 798 000
9,0
1995
12 606 000
7,7
1996
15 706 000
11,6
1997
19 037 000
14,2
1998
27 184 000
9,4
1999
21 574 000
7,1
2000
19 773 000
6,0
2001
25 590 000
7,0
2002
33 376 000
8,4
2003
34 772 000 
9,1
2004
28 327 000
7,4
2005
27 574 000
6,9
2006
34 618 000
7,7
2007
42 610 000
8,5
 
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