Aller Aqua Norway has confirmed a salmon escape at its facility in Vadheim, Norway.
The company discovered the escape on 29 October after finding a four-by-four-meter hole in the wall of its net pen. After counting its remaining salmon, the company determined that roughly 35,000 had escaped.
Soon after being informed of the escape, Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries ordered Aller Aqua to monitor the environment and remove escaped fish from 11 nearby waterways. The company has said it will pay NOK 200 (USD 19.92, EUR 19.29) per fish delivered to a reception station in Vadheim.
The escaped fish had an average weight of 4.8 kilograms, and were ready for harvest. The directorate of fisheries also said it is investigating and performing inspections at the company's facilities.
According to the latest figures from Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries, the company has so far recaptured over 9,000 of the escaped fish. The company reported that the majority of those recaptured were west of the escape site.
Norway Directorate of Fisheries Regional Director Leni Lisæter told NRK that it could impose environmental monitoring on rivers if the escape is large enough.
Aller Aqua has not responded to a request for comment from SeafoodSource.
Photo courtesy of Aller Aqua
