Farmed salmon is a big industry in Norway. Production per year is about 800.000 metric tons, making it the third largest export after oil and metals. Many improvements have been made through the years and costs have been going down substantially, with prices near the USD 4-5 mark pr. kilo.
Norwegian salmon companies have interests in many countries – Scotland, Ireland, Peru, Canada a.o.
There is increasing concern about the sustainability of this production as the negative environmental effects are serious all over the world. Offshore farming methods using net-pens are not sustainable. They are very vulnerable to all sorts of incidents: virus, warm water, rough weather etc.. It is rather incredible that this technology has been allowed at all.
- animal welfare is extremely low with fish being crammed into net-pens
- the fish is dying from salmon lice
- there are substantial amounts of lost foodstuffs, medicines, de-lousing substances, faeces etc. in the surrounding sea destroying the seabed – what you put in the pen is everywhere else too.
- there is risk of human cancer due to the use of these substances, other health issues have also been raised
- wild fish is degenerating or disappearing altogether due to large losses of fish from the pens
- the spawning areas and transport routes for wild fish are restricted by salmon farms
- other animals depending on fish are suffering
- the tourist industry is suffering
The feeding industry for the salmon industry is also large: It takes 4-5 kg of fish to make 1 kg salmon. Also note that producing 1 kg of salmon requires less feed than producing 1 kg of chicken (chickens eat plant food)
The fish farming industry is huge – direct and indirect employment runs into the tens of thousands, profits are mostly huge.
The administration of salmon farming has received massive criticism and the politics, ownership, lobbying are all big with blurred lines of action and responsibility. Has it become an industry too big to fail – or to change – so big it does not listen to anybody? The politicians and the regulators are owners themselves, the employment and profits are important.
In many parts of the world this criticism is raised, and shrimp farming has been under attack for many years.
The criticism have led to the development of new sustainable methods, landbased and completely without the negative effects.
See link: Next-Generation Aquaculture: closed containment, landbased,no risk. And what about plant food for the fish?
The public will not buy shitty fish! Changes must come – or are we killing the goose laying the golden eggs?
See also: Green Warriors of Norway
And now reports of farmed monster cod found by fishermen in the sea – we don’t need more of this! Get your act together!
