Almost two years ago, 87,000 farmed cod escaped from the Alida facility in Voldsfjorden in Volda. It was one of the biggest escapes in a long time. Recently, Ode, which is the company that owns the facility, has applied to expand the breeding facility. Doubly so. But the Norwegian Food Safety Authority says no to that. They believe that this constitutes an unacceptable risk of infection for the wild cod in the area. – Disaster for coastal cod For hobby fisherman Oddvin Bjerkvik, this is good news. – I am very happy about that. We have been protesting it all along. We are afraid that there will be more escapes. He lives not far from the facility where there was cod escape two years ago. Oddvin Bjerkvik lives close to the Alida facility. He is a hobby fisherman, and caught a lot of farmed cod in his net last year. Archive image. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Bjerkvik is concerned about the cod population, and is afraid that cod farming could destroy the wild cod. – When we see how things are going with the salmon industry and how bad things are with wild salmon, it is a disaster if this happens to coastal cod as well. Put all applications on hold In autumn 2023, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority put all applications for cod farming on hold, because the knowledge base was not good enough. On 1 July, a preliminary report came from the Institute of Marine Research. As a result, Ode, which is one of the leading companies in the field, was refused by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. In the refusal, they also write that the plant that is located there today already poses an unacceptable risk of infection to the wild cod. Even if this does not have immediate consequences. – It would not be natural to withdraw a permit without clear signs of negative impact, even if we have received a better basis for assessing the risk of infection, writes John Bjarne Falck of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in an e-mail to news. Furthermore, they write that if they see clear signs that a facility affects the surrounding area negatively, they have the option of withdrawing approval. Considering an appeal Ode is now considering an appeal against the decision. – We have registered the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s decision and have asked for an extended appeal deadline, until 31 August. Our assessment will appear in a possible complaint, write the media contact for Ode, Falk Øveraas, in an e-mail to news. Falk Øveraas is Ode’s media contact. They write that they have requested an extension of the appeal deadline from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Archive image. Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news Challenges in the queue Several players have been refused to establish themselves in new areas, according to Anders Furuset, journalist in Fiskeribladet and Dagens Næringsliv. He says the challenges are lined up for the cod farming industry. – In addition to the fact that they are dependent on access to land, the quotas are low and are expected to fall to the lowest level since 1991. So things look bright for the cod price. But it is challenging to succeed with the production. In the early 2000s, between 30 and 40 actors gave up. So far, the three biggest players who farm cod have lost hundreds of millions of kroner, according to Furuset. – But it is often the case when you try something new, that you go into the red before things turn around. Compared to normal fishing for cod, cod farming is small. It is perhaps 5–6% of what we fish. But the growth is fast, says Furuset, who does not dare to predict how it will go. Researching the consequences The Norwegian Food Safety Authority says that in 2025 there will be a new report on cod farming and the consequences for spawning grounds for cod. – It should give us an even better basis for being able to assess the consequences of establishing cod farming, says Falck. In June this year, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority received new guidelines for establishment in cod farming. Published 16.07.2024, at 20.23
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The Norwegian Food Safety Authority says no to the expansion of Ode AS’s facility for cod farming in Alida in Volda – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
