Aquaculture and the environment

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Aquaculture and the environment
A presentation from www.laksefakta.no
Norwegian Seafood Export Council/Per Eide Studio
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Contents
1. Environmental standpoint 2. Sustainable food
production 3. Environment and choice of
location 4. Salmon lice and wrasse 5. Use of
copper 6. Disease and antibiotics 7. Escaped
fish
Photo Norwegian Seafood Export Council
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1. Environmental standpoint

• One of the aims of the fish farming industry is
  to be eco-friendly
• Good ethical husbandry and sustainable
  management of resources are the industrys
  fundamental principles
• Like all other industrial activity, aquaculture
  also involves environmental challenges
• Consequently, the industry focuses on the
  environment in all areas from feed production and
  until the fish reaches the market

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2. Sustainable food production

• Of all farm animals, salmon makes the most
  efficient use of the energy in the feed
• 1.15 kg feed is required to produce 1 kg salmon.
  
• For the same growth, poultry must have 1.94 kg
  and pigs 3 kg
• Fishmeal and fish oil are important raw
  ingredients in fish feed, but these marine
  resources are in short supply.
• However, new raw ingredients mean that the
  industry can continue to grow, without overtaxing
  the worlds fish stocks.

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Growth using new raw ingredients

• Research on alternative raw ingredients, such as
  vegetable oils, algae and protein from gas, has
  been conducted since the 1980s
• Salmon and trout feed produced in Norway today
  contain a combination of marine and vegetable
  oils
• Like marine oils, plant oils are full value raw
  ingredients in the feed

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3. The environment and choice of location

• It is very important to choose the right
  location
• for a locality
• A good environment is important for the health
  and quality of the fish
• Current, depth and bottom conditions are
  decisive factors
• Fish farmers continuously monitor the
  environment around the localities

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Nutrient salts

• The main sources of discharges of nutrient
• salts are agriculture, households and fish
• farming
• The nutrient salts help to maintain a rich flora
  
• and fauna
• Over-accumulation of solid waste /bottom
  sediment may lead to undesirable algae growth
• Therefore, there is strong focus on finding
  localities with favourable current and bottom
  conditions

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4. Salmon lice

• The salmon louse - Lepeophtheirus
• salmonis is a parasite that occurs
• naturally on salmon in saltwater
• Salmon lice may damage the fish skin
• This may cause problems with salt
• balance and increase the risk of infection
• The industry invests significant resources in
  preventing and combating lice

Photo Anne-Mette Kirkemo, Norsk friluftspresse
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Eco-friendly lice treatment

• All farms are obliged to prepare a monthly
• report with regard to lice, any treatment
• required and use of wrasse
• A growing number of fish farmers have opted
• to use wrasse to combat lice
• Wrasse eat the salmon lice and the
• plankton on the nets
• Work is also in progress to develop a vaccine
  against salmon lice

Photo Kamilla Utgård
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5. Copper

• The nets are impregnated with copper to
• prevent fouling
• The trend is toward more frequent
• cleaning as an eco-friendly alternative
• Research is being carried out to find
• alternatives to copper, among other things,
• based on algae

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Ban on copper discharge

• In 2004, the authorities introduced a ban on
  discharge of copper from businesses that clean
  and impregnate nets
• This ban applies to new facilities already and
  will come into effect for existing facilities
  from 2006
• The cleaning methods introduced mean that the
  copper may be recycled. Research is being
  conducted on methods for this.

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6. Healthy fish

• Salmon is our healthiest farm animal
• There has been a 98 per cent
• reduction in use of antibiotics from
• 1987 and up to today. At the same time,
• salmon and trout production has
• grown more than tenfold
• The industry has achieved this through effective
  vaccination, improved production methods and
  preventive work

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7. Escaped fish

• One of the aims of the industry is to reduce the
  number of escaped fish to an absolute minimum
• According to preliminary figures from the
  Directorate of fisheries around 700 000 salmon
  and trout escaped in 2005.
• The escapes were mainly due to two individual
  incidents
• Around 470 000 salmon escaped in August last
  year, whereas 100 000 escaped in June as a result
  of sabotage

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New technical requirements

• According to the Directorate of Fisheries,
  technical failure was the main reason for last
  years escapes
• Statutory technical requirements, NYTEK, have
  been introduced for fish farms
• The NYTEK regulations came into force for new
  facilities in 2004 and in 2006 for existing
  facilities
• The industry is working actively to inform fish
  farmers about NYTEK and to improve the
  legislation

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Measures to prevent escapes

• The industry and the authorities increased their
  focus on research and development
• From January 2006, the industry itself will
  investigate escapes in order to learn from these
• The industry and others believe the authorities
  should set up an independent accident
  investigation board
• The Norwegian Seafood Federation has set up an
  escape board

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Control and documentation

• The fish farmers have daily control of the fish
  and the facilities
• A veterinarian or a fish welfare biologist
  continuously follow-up the fish
• The Directorate of Fisheries inspects all
  facilities on a regular basis
• The Norwegian Food Safety Authority approves and
  has strict control of the fish from harvesting to
  processing
• No other country in the world has such extensive
  control and research related to aquaculture as
  Norway

Foto Ewos
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Did you know that..

• In 2005, Norway produced 588 000 tonnes of
  salmon
• Translated into dinners, this is 1.4 billion
• skinned and boneless 250 g portions!
• Norway produces twice as much salmon as it does
  beef, poultry, mutton and pork put together
• Norwegian salmon is a popular raw material.
• In 2005, we exported salmon to 108 countries
  world-wide.

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Did you know that..

• Norwegian consumers are eating an increasing
  amount of salmon and preferably as fillets
• In 2005, Norwegians ate 3 kg salmon (round
  weight) per capita, 11 per cent up on the
  previous
• year
• Single and urbane consumers eat the most salmon,
  whereas people in rural areas and large families
  eat the least
• Salmon is the favourite fish of young Norwegians

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Eat twice as much fish!

• We should eat fish at least four times a week
• This is the conclusion in a new report from the
  Norwegian Science Committee for Food Safety, VKM
• VKM has compared the health advantages against
  the health risks of eating fish
• According to VKM, Norwegian seafood is good for
  your health and most people should double their
  intake of fish

Norwegian Minister of Fisheries Helga Pedersen
eating salmon nuggets at the film premiere of En
glad laks
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Would you like to find out more?

• Visit www.laksefakta.no
• Articles about salmon and aquaculture
• Presentations and fact sheets
• Free material
• Appetising salmon recipes

Use of photographs from this presentation for
other purposes is prohibited