13.02.2025 11:21
The global seafood company Mowi is offering fishermen a reward of 500 kroner (approximately 1355 lira) for each salmon they catch, following the escape of around 27,000 salmon from a farm off the coast of Norway.
The Norwegian seafood company Mowi is experiencing the shock of approximately 27,000 farmed salmon escaping from a farm along the country's coasts. The company has requested help in locating the missing salmon. They have offered a reward of 500 kroner (approximately 1355 lira) for each salmon caught by fishermen. The company stated that a quarter of the 105,000 salmon in a cage in northwestern Norway have escaped.
Norwegian authorities have asked Mowi to conduct capture operations beyond the standard 500-meter facility perimeter. The company is working with local fishermen to make efforts to catch the escaped salmon.
DESCRIBED AS A DISASTER
Pål Mugaas from the Norwegian Wild Salmon Rivers Association (Norske Lakseelver) stated, "The escape of 27,000 farmed salmon is a disaster for wild salmon." Scientific research shows that the interbreeding of farmed and wild salmon leads to offspring with low survival rates in nature. According to the statement, the escaped farmed salmon could reduce genetic diversity by interbreeding with wild salmon. This could lead to the spread of diseases and increase competition for breeding grounds. This situation poses serious threats to wild salmon populations.
GOVERNMENT IS NOT CONSIDERING A BAN ON FISH FARMS
Norwegian Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen stated that despite acknowledging that wild North Atlantic salmon is under "existential threat," they are not considering imposing a ban on open-sea net cage fish farms. Eriksen expressed that they aim to strike a balance between sustainable food production and the conservation of wild salmon. This incident has reignited ongoing discussions in Norway regarding the conservation of wild salmon populations and the environmental impacts of fish farms.
DECLINE OF WILD SALMON POPULATIONS IN NORWAY
Norway exports 1.2 million tons of farmed salmon annually. However, last summer, wild salmon numbers experienced a historic decline, leading to the closure of 33 rivers to salmon fishing. This summer, the closure of 42 rivers and three fjords has been proposed.