Report of the 2005 ICES/NASCO Symposium on Interactions ...

NINA SPECIAL REPORT 34
All kinds <strong>of</strong> food production, including aquaculture, will
have some impact on <strong>the</strong> environment. The challenge is
to minimize such impacts in a way that ensures that wild
and farmed salmon can co-exist, and more widely for all
salmon production around <strong>the</strong> world to ensure that <strong>the</strong>
level <strong>of</strong> interaction with <strong>the</strong> environment is acceptable.
Having been here for three days, listening to <strong>the</strong>
presentations and discussions, my opinion is that <strong>the</strong> main
challenge for <strong>the</strong> industry is to minimize <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong>
escapees. This will most probably also have positive
influences on o<strong>the</strong>r areas <strong>of</strong> concern.
The industry has achieved quite a lot in this area, but
<strong>the</strong>re is room for improvement. I will <strong>the</strong>refore briefly
comment on three areas which need to be addressed.
Land-based facilities
It should be possible to eliminate almost entirely escapees
and leakage from hatcheries and fry and smolt production
sites. There is probably not very much science in this, but
ra<strong>the</strong>r it involves refinement <strong>of</strong> technology, risk assessment
and focus on risk awareness.
Sea-based facilities
There is a tendency towards larger units in more exposed
areas when it comes to on-growing sites. The industry
has taken a wide range <strong>of</strong> measures to reduce <strong>the</strong> risk <strong>of</strong>
accidents, but even if <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> escape incidents is
declining, <strong>the</strong> size and effect <strong>of</strong> each incident could be
larger. One requirement is to be very focused on
minimizing <strong>the</strong> probability <strong>of</strong> escapes occurring, and
technology, moorings, nets, site selection and equipment
are key words in this context. Fur<strong>the</strong>r R&D on escape
prevention, and also giving increasing focus to possible
ways to minimize damage when accidents occur, is
important. The industry is looking for practical and costeffective
solutions. Attention should also be paid to o<strong>the</strong>r
possible solutions to cost-effective production and
operation.
Trickle losses
An important challenge is to minimize <strong>the</strong> so called ‘trickle
losses;’ i.e. <strong>the</strong> leakages <strong>of</strong> fish that are not being detected.
R&D, surveillance, risk assessment and awareness will be
<strong>of</strong> importance in solving <strong>the</strong> problem. The problem
should be addressed at all life-stages, with special focus on
what happens around times were fish are being moved,
handled or put to sea.
The industry has escapees as one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir main focuses.
We are cooperative and transparent; we do see <strong>the</strong>
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problems and are working continuously towards
improvements. This happens through voluntarily action
and through fulfilment <strong>of</strong> regulations. Obligatory actions
are probably needed in some cases. Toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong>
key words, cooperation, regulation, third party inspections
and reactions, R&D and cost-effective solutions will be <strong>of</strong>
importance. Aquaculture will in <strong>the</strong> future, as today, be an
important part <strong>of</strong> international food production. As such,
<strong>the</strong> salmon farming industry relies on being regarded as
responsible and with a high degree <strong>of</strong> credibility. This is
<strong>the</strong> case today, and it must also be so in <strong>the</strong> future.
Addressing <strong>the</strong> challenge <strong>of</strong> minimizing escapees will be a
part <strong>of</strong> this.
4. Jens Christian Holm
First <strong>of</strong> all - Conveners and members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Steering
Committee - congratulations to you - this has been an
interesting symposium dealing with some very serious
questions.
For me - representing <strong>the</strong> regulation side <strong>of</strong> aquaculture
in Norway - a lot <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> messages from this symposium
(both questions and results) relate to <strong>the</strong> increasing size <strong>of</strong>
our salmon industry. Industrialising a biological process
very <strong>of</strong>ten means increasing <strong>the</strong> size scale.
Size matters. The number <strong>of</strong> salmon in one large farm
can be higher than <strong>the</strong> total number <strong>of</strong> wild Atlantic
salmon present in <strong>the</strong> sea originating from all Norway’s
salmon-producing rivers. The maximum biomass allowed
in Norway’s 864 licences for commercial on-growing <strong>of</strong>
Atlantic salmon, trout and rainbow trout, is approximately
690,000 metric tonnes.
Net pen size, farm size and <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> farmed fish in
most regions have increased in our aquaculture industry in
recent years.
Larger netpens can result in larger numbers <strong>of</strong> escapees if
<strong>the</strong> pen is destroyed. A larger group <strong>of</strong> farmed salmon is
hard to manage if <strong>the</strong> technology and operational
procedures used are not adjusted. Medical treatment is
not easy in super-large units; obtaining <strong>the</strong>rapeutic dosage
for all individuals by oral administration will be almost
impossible and resistance may be <strong>the</strong> result.
Larger farms holding higher numbers <strong>of</strong> fish in a small area
will generally increase <strong>the</strong> risk <strong>of</strong> disease. And if a serious
disease outbreak occurs, <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> mortalities can be
so high that nei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> fishfarmer nor society have an
adequate infrastructure to tackle it. And sometimes a
whole fish farm might collapse in extreme rough wea<strong>the</strong>r
or if a ship collides with it.