Contents

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Contents

• 1. Facts about salmon production
• 2. Life cycle of salmon
• 3. Fish feed
• 4. Fish farmer a responsible job
• 5. Harvesting
• 6. Popular globetrotter

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1. Our most important farm animal

• Everyone knows about life on a farm. Very few
  know about life on a fish farm.
• Salmon is our most important farm animal,
  measured in tonnes, numbers and NOK
• Norway produces twice as much salmon as it does
  beef, poultry, mutton and pork put together

Photo Norwegian Seafood Export Council/Joakim
Karlsson
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2. The life cycle of salmon

• All farmed salmon originate from brood
• stock and are reared on special farms
• Todays brood stock originates from 40 Norwegian
  salmon strains, which were
• collected in the early 1970s
• Since then, salmon have been bred so
• that they are as best as possible suited to
• farm rearing

Photo. Norwegian Seafood Export Council
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Fertilisation

• The brood stock are stripped in the autumn and
  winter. This involves removal of eggs and milt
  from
• sexually mature salmon
• Fertilisation is done by mixing eggs, milt and
  water. The mixture is then placed in an
• Incubating system
• Newly fertilised eggs are left to lie
• undisturbed in the dark
• During incubation the water temperature is kept
  stable and the water is replaced regularly

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Eggs

• After around 30 days the eyes of the embryo
  salmon can be seen as two black spots in the egg
• At this stage, the eggs may be sorted and
  transported to other facilities
• The temperature determines the length of the
• Incubation period
• In water at 8C it takes around 60 days from
  fertilisation until the egg hatches

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Sac fry

• The fry is not yet fully developed when it
• hatches
• It gets nourishment from a yolk sac
• The fry must be left undisturbed with good
  support for the yolk sac. If it tips over, it may
  
• die
• When the yolk sac has depleted, the fry are
  moved from the incubators into larger tanks

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Weaning

• Weaning is a critical phase for the salmon, as
  it must learn to eat.
• Wild salmon have a high mortality rate. In
• salmon farming this is less than five per cent.
• When weaning is started, the fry begin to
• move
• The fish are usually exposed to light 24-hours a
  day. This gives faster growth.

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Young salmon (parr)

• When the yolk sac is depleted, the fish develop
  dark markings along their flanks so-called parr
  markings
• The fish are now called parr and are kept in a
• freshwater farm
• The salmon parr continue to grow in tanks up to
  smoltification
• During smoltification, the fish undergo
  significant physiological changes in order to be
  able to live in saltwater.

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Smolt in the sea

• After approx. one year in the freshwater
• locality, the fish are ready for release into
• the sea pens
• The salmon are usually 80 to 100 g on
• release and are now called smolt.
• The fish are transported in well boats to the
  sea localities
• The smolt are released in the spring and autumn

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The sea farm

• In the sea, the salmon live in net enclosures
  called pens
• The fish farmer keeps a close eye on the
  salmons development and environment
• The fish are kept in the sea until they reach
  around 4 kg
• The production period is from one to two years,
  depending on the time of release, size and
  temperature

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3. Feeding

• Automatic feeding is the most common
• salmon feeding method
• A feeding system comprises a feed silo, hoses
  from the silo and small computer that controls
  feeding
• The farmers also feeds manually when required
  and also to keep an eye on life in the pens
• The fish are fed different types of feed,
  depending on size, season and growth

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Composition of the feed

• All fish feed is healthy and safe both for the
  salmon and for those eating the fish
• The feed mainly comprises natural ingredients
  such as fish oil, fishmeal, vegetable oils and
  vitamins
• Astaxanthin in the feed ensures that the fish
  produce enough vitamin A and gives the meat its
  characteristic pink/red colour
• Antioxidants are added to the feed to prevent it
  from becoming rancid

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4. Fish farmer a responsible job

• Much of the work on the fish farm is automated,
  but good fish farmers are still worth their
  weight in gold
• Like other farm animals, salmon depend on good
  husbandry
• Feeding is the fish farmers most important task
• The farmer is responsible for the daily care of
  the fish and for their health and hygiene. Some
  of the routines are compulsory by law.

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Good regulated husbandry

• The Norwegian Food Safety Authority regularly
  inspects the health and welfare of the fish
• All farms are obliged to have a fish welfare
  service, which carries out inspections six times
  a year.
• In addition, a veterinarian or fish welfare
  biologist visits the farm twice a year
• Salmon farming is regulated according to a
  number of acts and regulations, which protect the
  welfare of the fish

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5. Harvesting

• All harvesting is reported to the Norwegian Food
  Safety Authority
• The fish are transported in a well boat to the
  harvesting plant, where they are made unconscious
  by a method in accordance with government
  requirements, before being bled and gutted
• The salmon are cleaned, graded according to size
  and quality and packed in cases
• Salmon are graded into superior, ordinary and
  production quality. Export of production fish is
  prohibited.

Photo Norwegian Seafood Export Council
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6. Popular globetrotter

• Norwegian salmon is exported fresh, frozen or
  processed to more than 100 countries
• It is served as sushi in Japan, lucky fish in
  China and as festive food in Russia
• Russia, EU and Japan are the most important
• markets
• All salmon is tagged with the harvesting date,
  harvesting plan, species and the name of the
  farm. This ensures good traceability.

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Strict control

• Food authorities world-wide recommend that
  people eat more seafood and especially oily fish
  such as salmon
• No other fish in the world is subject to such
  extensive control as Norwegian salmon
• Producers and the authorities have a
  comprehensive system to ensure that salmon is
  safe food.

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Eat twice as much fish!

• We should eat fish 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 ofl
En glad laks
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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!
• In 2005, Norwegian salmon was exported to 108
  countries
• Norway exported salmon worth BNOK 13.5.
• This is 43 per cent of the total Norwegian
  seafood exports.

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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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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 in this presentation for other
purposes is prohibited.