More than 12,000 metric tons (MT) worth of farmed salmon have died due to the ongoing algae bloom in northern Norway, according to the most recent update from Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries.
Losses stand at roughly NOK 744 million (USD 85.4 million, EUR 76.3 million), the directorate said.
Heavy mortalities were reported in the Rinøyvåg Ø area, with additional deaths in Jevik, Stabben, and at Sandøy in Vågsfjorden, while Troms has not seen any moralities in recent days. Between deaths due to the algae and preemptive culling, Ofotfjord has lost nearly all its fish, the directorate said. Nordland has seen 5,200 MT of salmon wiped out thus far and Troms has lost 6,800 MT.
More mortalities are likely, as the algae bloom appears to be moving south. The Offersøya-Øksfjorden (Flaget) and the area west of Selsøya were given a warning from the Directorate of Fisheries that the bloom may spread there within 24 hours, as were the Rinøya-Årstein and the Kanstadfjord areas. The Malangen area is also threatened, the directorate said.
“Water samples taken from the areas at Brensholmen and Finnvika show the occurrence of algae, but it is not yet clear which types. New samples have been collected to clarify what is present in the water. Currently, no report on behavioral change or mortality at any of the sites. There is a lot of fish in the area, and some of the players plan to move fish,” it said.
All of the mortalities have stretched the region’s processing capacity to the limit, the directorate said. In response, the newly-launched harvesting boat “Norwegian Gannet,” owned by Have Line Group, has deployed to the area. The vessel is equipped with on-board processing capabilities and has a storage capacity of 700 MT.
On 22 May, Nordea Markets analyst Kolbjørn Giskeødegård said as much as 40,000 MT of salmon could be lost as a result of the bloom. Norwegian Seafood Council analyst Paul Aandahl reaffirmed that estimate to the Independent (U.K.) newspaper.
“It’s too soon to say how big the losses will be for the producers. Preliminary numbers point to eight million dead fish, corresponding to 40,000 tonnes of salmon that won’t reach markets,” Aandahl said.
Fearnleys analyst Lars Konrad Johnsen said the losses amount to as much as half the total growth of the sector
“Providing the net effect is something in the area of 20,000 to 30,000 tons, this means you lose around half of the growth that was to come this year – and that will no doubt affect prices,” Johnsen told Reuters.
In response to the bloom, Sjømatbedriftene, the Norwegian aquaculture association, has called for Norway’s government to grant compensation to the affected firms, according to a post on the organization’s Facebook page.
