Salmon producers rebut ‘pollution’ claims
The organisation representing Norway’s seafood producers has strongly rejected claims that its members are polluting the country’s fjords.
Environmental research body the Sunstone Institute has produced research that, it says, shows that Norway’s salmon industry is responsible for nutrient pollution equivalent to the human sewage from a country the size of Australia – several times the size of Norway’s population.
Sunstone said this amounted, in 2025, to 75,000 tonnes of nitrogen, 13,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 360,000 tonnes of organic carbon.
The report’s authors also said seasonal variation aggravates the problem, with the nutrient load highest in summer months when ecosystems are least able to absorb it.
The nutrient waste comes from fish faeces and uneaten fish pellets, produced by land-based hatcheries discharging into the sea and net-pens housing fish in the fjords.
The institute adds that these nutrient levels can lead to eutrophication, the process by which a body of water becomes overly enriched with nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. This excess of nutrients leads to rapid growth of algae and other aquatic plants, which can deplete oxygen levels in the water and harm aquatic life.
Industry says pollution is low-risk
Sjømat Norge, the Norwegian Seafood Federation, has strongly rejected Sunstone’s conclusions. The Federation points to ongoing studies carried out by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), which monitors eutrophication risk along Norway’s coast.
The Federation said: “The Institute of Marine Research prepares a Risk Report for Norwegian fish farming every year on behalf of the Norwegian authorities. This is a professional assignment from the Norwegian authorities… the overall conclusion is quite clear: The risk of eutrophication from discharges of dissolved nutrients is considered low in all production areas along the Norwegian coast.”
Geir Lasse Taranger, Director of the Department of Aquaculture, Marine Environment and Technology at the Institute of Marine Research, commented: “In the 2026 version of the [IMR Risk] report, the various production areas are assessed with regard to ‘eutrophication due to discharges of dissolved nutrients from fish farming’. PO2 and PO3 are the two areas with the highest salmonid production in relation to sea area of all production areas in Norway, and are potentially most at risk.
“The assessment is that the risk of ‘eutrophication due to discharges of dissolved nutrients from fish farming’ is low in both PO2 and PO3, but that some sub-areas may have an increased risk. The monitoring also documents that the environmental status shows a ‘very good’ to ‘good’ condition for nutrients and phytoplankton in both areas.”
Taranger also commented on the Hardangerfjord, which is often cited as a body of water at particular risk from salmon farm pollution. He said: “Data from the Hardangerfjord shows that the condition is generally good in terms of oxygen content in the bottom water, and nutrient measurements and chlorophyll show ‘good’ to ‘very good’ environmental status.
“Monitoring of the benthic community also shows good status, including both the hard-bottom indicator macroalgae and the soft-bottom fauna in deep pools, with the exception of some stations in the inner part of the fjord.
“Based on nutrient data, there is no indication that the fjord is at risk of eutrophication today.”
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