– Mortality has an upward trend, we are on the wrong course. Something must be done about this, says director Edgar Brun of the Veterinary Institute. On Tuesday, the Veterinary Institute presents the annual fish health report in Bergen. New is a comprehensive review of the cause of mortality in Norwegian farms. In recent months, news has reported that the farming industry has major challenges with mass deaths of fish, gill and heart diseases, listeria outbreaks, major lice challenges and the discovery of self-dead salmon. Every sixth fish in Norwegian farms dies of disease. Last year, 62.8 million salmon and 2.5 million rainbow trout died with great suffering. The Veterinary Institute has now mapped which diseases the fish die from. The main conclusion is that 38 per cent die from infections and around 33 per cent die from injuries, trauma and wounds. WOUNDS: Wounds are one of the most common causes of suffering and death in farmed salmon Photo: Are Nylund / UiB – There is far too much mortality. Now the industry must take action and do something about this, says Fisheries and Oceans Minister Cecilie Myrseth (Ap). LESSONS LEARNED: Fisheries and Oceans Minister Cecilie Myrseth (Ap) believes the industry must work actively to reduce mortality and disease, by learning from those who succeed. Photo: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Seafood Norway highlights that the industry is ready for mortality to decrease. – We are working on a broad front to improve fish welfare through new technology, new feed, new equipment, new vaccines, new research projects and a comprehensive investment in increased biosecurity. But it takes time, says director Jon Arne Grøttum in a press release. Sjømat Norge points out that it takes around three years to produce a slaughterable salmon. These diseases wreak havoc with the fish. Mortality is highest in Western Norway. In the area from Karmøy to Sotra, as many as 25 percent of the fish die. The lowest mortality is in Northern Norway. The five most common infectious diseases are: Winter sores, fissure of the heart (cardiomyopathy syndrome), gill disease and heart and skeletal muscle inflammation and a bacterial disease pasteurellosis. – Lice treatments and stressful handling can weaken the fish and make it more susceptible to infectious diseases, and infections make it less resistant to lice treatments. In this sense, it is a vicious circle that is difficult, says Brun. Winter sores pose the biggest health and welfare challenge for the salmon. The number of facilities that have major challenges with this is increasing. Salmon with winter sores. The pictures are taken from the Fish Health Report. Photo: Mattias Bendiksen Lind / HaVet Large fish lice on the belly of a trout. The picture shows amoebic gill disease (AGD) in salmon. The white spots on the gills are caused by the amoeba Paramoebaperurans. Photo: Jannicke Wiik-Nielsen / Veterinary Institute Skin damage from lice washing. Photo: Mattias B. Lind / HaVet Jellyfish are a big problem for fish. They have nettle cells with venom and barbs that paralyze and injure the fish. The picture shows a nettle cell magnified 15,000 times. It has been taken with a scanning electron microscope and colored. Photo: Jannicke Wiik-Nielsen / Veterinærinstituttet Infectious salmon anemia (ILA) can cause signs of disease such as pale gills, dark liver and bleeding in internal organs and the eye. Bottom left, the virus (in red) multiplies among cells. Right: the virus (colored green) attaches to blood cells. What is new is that much damage to fish is now caused by jellyfish, this is among the ten most common causes. In addition, bacterial kidney disease increased sharply last year. Here it is believed that the infection occurs through the transport of infected fish or on well boats. Also last year, the report showed a disappointing development with disease and high mortality Unused knowledge The Veterinary Institute believes that the industry could combat the problems better by using existing knowledge. – There is a lot of research and knowledge about the industry that is not used. There is great potential here, says Brun. INJURIES: One in six farmed fish dies from injuries and infections. Photo: Norwegian Food Safety Authority – Infectious diseases are an extensive problem for fish welfare and survival in the sea. There is a lot of knowledge about how the risk of infection can be reduced and there is great potential for improvement. It requires that the knowledge is put to use and translated into action in the farming industry. This is low-hanging fruit, says Brun. The Minister of Fisheries also believes that the industry must obtain knowledge from those who are involved in research and experience. – There are many breeding companies that succeed with low mortality. This shows that it is possible to make it happen, and here the other companies must obtain knowledge from so that they can reduce mortality and improve fish health. The government will contribute with policy to improve development, says Myrseth. Tekna, which organizes, among other things, master’s-educated fish health biologists, believes that it is urgent to implement measures. – There must be clearer demands on breeders to improve welfare and reduce mortality. It is urgent and necessary to take immediate measures to improve welfare, we cannot wait for the animal welfare report, says Tekna president Elisabet Haugsbø. URGENT. Tekna president Elisabet Haugsbø believes it is urgent to introduce measures Photo: Tekna Nature and Youth believes that fish health reports have established for too long that the health condition of farmed fish is poor. – It proves that the industry is unable to adhere to the regulations and has far too free rein. We need to tighten the regulations and strengthen the control authorities. It is urgent that the government gets on board, says Ada Amalia Skjensvold, central board member of Nature and Youth. The Animal Protection Alliance believes that protecting the fish must simply become a political goal. – As banal as it sounds, it is actually necessary that requirements are set for welfare, so that the breeders do not have more fish than they can take care of, Susanna Lybæk, expert adviser at the Animal Protection Alliance. CONCERNED: Susanna Lybæk in the Animal Protection Alliance. Photo: Magnus Thorén / news Demand stricter rules SV believes the entire reputation of the industry is at stake, with consequences for jobs and local venues, among other things. – Now the government must stop asking the industry to tighten up, and rather go in favor of SV’s proposal for stricter regulations and a policy that leads to restructuring in the farming industry, says SV’s fisheries policy spokesperson Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes. The MDGs also want progress and believe that the government is doing too little. – The regulations are too weak. It allows the farming industry to operate in this way, and it is a completely conscious policy from the Labor Party, the Right, the Sp and the Frp. They are in charge. No one else, says business policy spokesperson Rasmus Hansson in MDG. Rødt also believes that the government must now take action. – We are in the middle of an ongoing animal tragedy. Now Myrseth has to get his finger out and come up with measures that please. It is no longer possible to simply recommend to the industry to overcome the problem. Mortality must be included as one of the criteria in the traffic light system that regulates production, says business policy spokesperson Geir Jørgensen. The Minister of Fisheries will present a parliamentary report on animal welfare before the summer.
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Salmon die from infections and injuries – news Vestland
