The dramatic numbers appear in both the slaughter reports and the biomass figures that the farming giant has reported this winter. It is particularly the problem facility Oksen at Sotra that reports both high death tolls and major damage to the fish.
NRK has previously told the story about the conditions at this facility and the high lice pressure there.
Now it appears that the situation has not improved in recent years. This winter it has peaked.
Six out of ten salmon died
It is especially cage number 4 at Oksen that gives the biggest salmon company in the world a major break.
In January, 61.51 percent of the fish here died. This is shown by the biomass figures that NRK has obtained access to.
Biomass is the total quantity of live fish in a facility, measured in tonnes.
Total accumulated mortality in the entire locality was at the end of February at 28.6 per cent.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority wrote this to Mowi about the conditions at Oksen after an inspection this winter:
“We think it is serious that there has been a very high mortality rate that has lasted from 8 to 15 weeks in the pens on the site. It has been too long before they have initiated major measures to cull fish with reduced welfare. They should have initiated more effective measures in all cages at an earlier stage to ensure that fish with reduced welfare are removed from the cages as soon as possible.”
Ola Helge Hjetland is communications director at Mowi.
Photo: Mowi
– The situation at Oksen has been very demanding this winter due to abnormally large occurrences of the Pearl Norman. They have been a major challenge along the entire coast this winter, but unfortunately the occurrences have been exceptionally large on Sotra, explains communications director Ola Helge Hjetland at Mowi.
75 percent unsalable fish
The slaughter announcements from the farming giant are not pleasant reading either. These reports show how the salmon is divided into different quality classes. Either as superior, production fish or draft. In Norway, it is only allowed to export superior. The production fish, which often have wounds and injuries, cannot be sold directly to consumers. It must be corrected before it can be sold for consumption or sent out of the country.
Dagens Næringsliv reported this week that at the beginning of April, half of Mowi’s fish had to be downgraded. But the figures from individual plants this winter are even more dramatic. As in Oksen outside Sotra.
The slaughter reports from Week 4 shows the following:
Of a total of 160 tonnes of fish for slaughter, 105 tonnes had to be downgraded to production fish. That means well over a 60 percent downgrade. The cause is stated to be “wounds and damage”.
Wounds and damage were the main reason why the salmon from Oksen could not be sold as superior. The picture is from the Fish Health Report to the Veterinary Institute in 2023.
Photo: Veterinary Institute
– Scary numbers
But it got even worse during the winter. IN week 6 this was the situation at Oksen:
Of a total volume of 482 tonnes, 349 tonnes had to be downgraded to production fish. In addition, 17 tonnes went to so-called draft or scrap fish.
– About 75 per cent downgrade in week 6 due to wounds from the attack from the Perlesnormanet, confirms Hjetland in Mowi to NRK.
Trygve Poppe, former professor at the Veterinary College.
Photo: Stine Bækkelien / NRK
– These are frightening figures. There did not seem to have been enough improvement in the conditions at the plant, says Trygve Poppe, former professor at Norway’s Veterinary College. He points out that Oksen has had challenges with animal welfare for a long time.
So on Week 7 now this winter. The situation at Oksen was then: Total slaughter volume 11 tonnes. Downgrading due to wounds and injuries was eight tonnes. Draft was one tonne.
Almost every eighth fish was so damaged that it could not be sold.
– Must be adapted to reality
– It is pointless to blame the Perlesnorman or other things. These are realities the breeders have to deal with anyway. If it’s not jellyfish, it’s something else, Trygve Poppe points out. And add:
– The pet room must be adapted to reality. Mowi has obviously not been able to do that.
– That this comes from Poppe is not surprising, but at the same time very disappointing, says Hjetland in Mowi. He claims that there have been major problems at Oksen in the past year.
– This delay seemed to be very good right up until the pearl normanets appeared in huge numbers.
Request a new plan
On 2 May this year, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority made a decision concerning operations at Oksen:
“They must draw up a plan for how to avoid incidents that lead to continued high mortality and reduced welfare in this and future generations at Oksen.”
Ola Helge Hjetland in MOWI says the company has plans to improve fish health at the facility.
– We have removed fish for welfare reasons throughout the winter, and will empty the facility long before planned, he says.
– Mowi takes both the fish’s welfare and health very seriously. From both ethical, sustainability and financial considerations, it is in our interest that the fish grow and do as well as possible throughout their lifetime. We therefore use a lot of resources on research and development to increase survival and improve the fish’s welfare.
