– This leads to high fish mortality and financial losses, says Auditor General Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen in a press release.
In its latest report, the National Audit Office has looked at fish welfare in the aquaculture industry. The conclusion is that the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries and underlying agencies have not done enough to reduce the persistent challenges of disease and poor fish welfare.
It is reprehensible, says the National Audit Office. This is the second most serious form of criticism they can make.
In the report, it is pointed out that the breeding facilities are close together, particularly in Western Norway, and that there are several outbreaks of the disease infectious salmon anemia along the coast every year.
The health and welfare of fish in the aquaculture industry is not adequately safeguarded, the National Audit Office states. They say there are ongoing challenges with several diseases in the aquaculture industry, and some new diseases are increasing in scope.
Disease, wounds and injuries reduce the value of the salmon produced, since salmon with wounds and deformities cannot be converted directly for human consumption, the report states.
– Have failed the fish
The Animal Protection Alliance believes the authorities have failed the fish.
– We have long pointed out that the current regulations for growth do not take the fish’s welfare into account. On the contrary, the one-sided spotlight on lice has led to a too rapid development of cowboy treatment methods which have created major problems for fish welfare, says communications manager Lise Kleveland.
Fish health biologist Mattias Bendiksen Lind, who is associated with the association Tekna, calls for a system where breeders who put fish health at the center are rewarded – while unsustainable animal welfare has consequences.
– Tekna, together with a collective professional community, has for several years called for political measures to improve welfare and reduce mortality in the breeding facilities, without being heard. The annual fish health reports from the Veterinary Institute show year after year that the mortality rate for Norwegian farmed fish is far too high and that there is no improvement, says Lind.
Shows to the breeders
– Let it be clear: Norwegian farmed fish must be healthy and have good welfare, says Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap).
He believes that the responsibility for the fish’s health lies primarily with the breeder, but acknowledges that the authorities have not done enough to ensure that the industry takes care of this to a sufficient extent.
– We can all agree that the mortality rate in Norwegian farming is too high and that the industry has not taken sufficient measures to change this. At the same time, I feel that both the industry itself and the authorities have a common goal of reducing mortality by improving fish welfare and the biosecurity of the facilities, and an interest in succeeding in this, he writes in an email.
Recommend tightening
The National Audit Office also believes that it is worthy of criticism that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority does not have a good enough system to carry out so-called risk-based supervision. In addition, there is too little cooperation between the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Directorate of Fisheries, they state. Several of the National Audit Office’s recommendations to the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries relate to this.
The National Audit Office also recommends developing the regulations for risk management and internal control in the aquaculture industry, as well as considering setting requirements for standards for facilities and equipment with requirements for documentation, monitoring and certification.
Skjæran says the report shows that the authorities must consider measures that can contribute to more being done to ensure better fish health.
– We are therefore continuously working to find good regulations that can support the breeders in their work, writes Skjæran.
