The aquaculture sector in northern Norway is being hit hard by an algae bloom, according to a 16 May statement from Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries.
The algae bloom is affecting the waters between Nordland and south of Troms, an area of about 450 kilometers of coastline.
“Dead fish are registered at some sites, some hit harder than others. This is a serious situation and a significant number of fish have died,” the statement said.
The directorate did not supply a list of the companies or farms affected or the amount of mortalities reported. It said it would report a mortality figure “when such an overview is available.”
The operators of aquaculture sites in the area “are in close dialogue” with the directorate and “are continuously implementing necessary measures.”
“The most important thing now is to help the breeders in a difficult situation where they have to put all their preparedness into action,” the directorate said. “Work is being done on modeling in order to be able to predict where the algae will move. Water samples have been taken in both counties to find out what type of algae is involved. It is a relatively complicated process and results from the samples are not yet clear.”
The directorate said it is working with Norway’s Institute of Marine Research in order to analyze the results of the tests.
