No to offshore tax – yet!

The Norwegian government has ruled out a special tax on offshore salmon farming – for now. It says that because the sector is still in the development stage it will not consider such a proposal until it becomes profitable. The announcement has disappointed the industry which now believes an offshore tax will be inevitable if…

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ISA news takes shine off SalMar harvest numbers

SalMar has today reported a bumper 24,000 tonne-plus increase in its 2023 third quarter harvest. But the company has also reported the discovery of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) at one of its sites. The harvest figure should be treated with some caution because the Q3 2022 harvest did not include salmon from the NTS group which…

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3D imaging could provide early warning of sea lice

Technology developed to identify tiny marine organisms and particles could be used to detect the presence of microscopic sea lice larvae – that’s the hope of a team of researchers based in Scotland. The study aims to apply holographic 3D imaging, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide an early warning system for fish…

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Lerøy expecting lower Q3 harvest

Lerøy Seafood slaughtered 2,300 tonnes less salmon during the third quarter this year, a trading update from the company reveals. The June to September harvest totalled 53,900 tonnes against 56,200 tonnes during the same period last year. The figures are for Norway only and do not include production from Scottish Sea Farms, in which it…

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Björk pledges song for anti fish farm campaign

More than 2,000 people gathered in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik at the weekend to protest against open pen salmon farming joined by Björk, the country’s internationally renowned singer. Björk and the Spanish singer Rosalía have said they plan to release a song later this supporting the fight against fish farming in Iceland and with the…

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Norwegian salmon farmers dismayed at Budget

Norway’s salmon industry has poured cold water on the government’s claim that the salmon tax will net NOK five billion (£373m) for the exchequer. Geir Ystmark, CEO of the employer organisation Seafood Norway said: “I don’t believe it – the figure will be higher.” There was general dismay over what Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum…

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Land farmer Salmon Evolution records all time high biomass

In a positive operational update, Salmon Evolution has announced it is achieving strong biological performance at its land-based farm, with good growth and normal mortality levels across all fish groups. The company’s flow-through farm is located at Indre Harøy on the Norwegian coast. Salmon Evolution has now achieved an all-time high standing biomass of around…

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Competition watchdog concern over UK scampi merger

Two of the UK’s principal scampi producers have been given five working days to show that their planned merger will not lead to higher prices. The Yorkshire coast company Whitby Seafood and Kilhorne Bay Seafoods of County Down, Northern Ireland want to come together. But the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)  has stepped, in expressing…

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Seafood industry in call to scrap “employer tax”

Norwegian industry organisation Seafood Companies is urging the government to remove the employer tax on the seafood industry so more salmon and other fish can be processed at home. Much of Norway’s salmon, for example, is processed hundreds of miles away in Poland and Denmark. Robert H. Eriksson, managing director of Seafood Companies (“Sjomatbedriftene” in…

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Cermaq deploys laser defence against sea lice

Cermaq Norway is deploying 140 lasers in its fight against salmon lice, the company has announced. It says laser technology has proven to be effective against salmon lice and gentle on the salmon. After extensive evaluation in two locations in Finnmark and at Nordland, the system will be put into use at other suitable facilities…

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