Oslo, Norway-based salmonid farming company Cermaq reported a survival rate of 95 percent for its Atlantic salmon production, but has acknowledged that variances between its farming areas reveal a potential for further improvement.
According to Cermaq’s new Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) report for 2021, the company's salmon mortalities in Chile and Norway increased slightly to just under 4 percent and 5 percent respectively, while Canada’s rate fell from 12 percent in 2020 to less than 10 percent last year.
The report also confirmed the company did not reach its goal of zero escapes in 2021, with 5,609 fish escaping out of the 90 million-plus fish it produced worldwide last year.
In a statement delivered alongside the report, Cermaq said it will continue to focus on the protection of local biological diversity as an important part of its operations, with an objective to further reduce escapes in 2022. The company said this will be done through better monitoring technology and improvement of internal procedures.
Cermaq’s GRI report incorporates both industry-specific data and information based on the GRI protocols, and includes details on such inputs as fish vaccination, medicine use, sea lice treatment salmon feed ingredients, wildlife interactions, escapes, energy use, occupational health and safety figures, and taxes and investments per country.
Scoring fish welfare on three levels – environmental, population, and individual – is an important tool to increase survival rate, the company said. It added that open sharing of facts and data is necessary in discussions with stakeholders.
“Facts about salmon-farming performance are needed for improvement in operations but also for constructive discussion and dialogue with stakeholders. This has been the basis for Cermaq’s comprehensive sustainability reporting and why our report is externally reviewed by our auditors,” Cermaq Director for Sustainability and Communication Lars Galtung said.
The company said its average sea lice counts in 2021 were controlled below the local action levels in Cermaq Norway, Cermaq Canada, and Cermaq Chile, while its antibiotics use increased by an average 30 percent across the group – mainly due to challenges with SRS (Piscirickettsia salmonis) and BKD (bacterial kidney disease) in Chile.
Photo courtesy of Cermaq
