High mortality event at Bakkafrost site

An “elevated mortality level” has been recorded at Bakkafrost’s A-81 Kolbanagjógv salmon farming site, the Faroese company has confirmed. 

Approximately 750,000 salmon with an average live weight of 500 grams died within a couple of hours on 20 September. These fish were transferred to the sea cages between June and August this year.

“It has not been possible to confirm the cause of the incident, but algae phaeocystis, pseudo-nitzscia and heterosigma were registered in the sea at farming site A-81 Kolbanagjógv on 20 September, 2018,, and the algae are suspected to have caused the mortality incident on 20 September, 2018," Bakkafrost said in a statement.

The statement continued, “It has also been confirmed that prior to and while the incident occurred, manure has been sprayed as fertilizer onto the infield only 200 meters from the farming site A-81 Kolbanagjógv. Continuous examinations are being done to confirm the cause of the sudden and short mortality incident.”

No similar incidents have been recorded in 30 years of salmon farming at A-81 Kolbanagjógv, nor have any similar situations been observed at other farming sites in recent days, Bakkafrost said.

All of the dead fish have now been removed, the company added.

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