Covid-19 blamed.
Grieg Seafood’s ambitious aquaculture initiative in Eastern Canada, initiated by Chairman Per Grieg Jr, is reducing this year’s planned smolt release, from two to one million smolts.
The reason is that Covid-19 has caused an interruption in “vital egg deliveries” to the company’s hatchery in Maristown, Newfoundland. Grieg Seafood said in a message on Twitter on Thursday.
Update from Grieg Seafood Newfoundland
May 13, 2021COVID-19 related travel delays have caused disruptions of vital egg shipments to our Marystown facility. As a result, Grieg Seafood Newfoundland will enter the sea with 1,000,000 fish this year.
— Grieg Seafood Newfoundland (@GriegNL) May 13, 2021
Grieg Seafood’s green field aquaculture initiative on the Canadian East Coast is proposing a very low environmental footprint, and the company will, among other things, rely on production of large smolt of triploid salmon.
The focus on triploid (sterile) salmon was announced recently when Norway Royal Salmon (NRS), in consultation with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, cut out its “green” focus on triploid salmon, as their experience has shown that it is more exposed to bacterial and viral diseases.
Against this backdrop, and for the sake of fish welfare, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority put its foot down, and NRS will in the future phase out triploid salmon and return to the farming of ordinary diploid salmon.
Even though the Norwegian Food Safety Authority stopped the postponement of triploid salmon in Norway, it does not affect Grieg’s plans in Eastern Canada.
“Not as of now. We are developing production in Newfoundland step by step, building on different experiences, new knowledge that constantly comes in and adjusts along the way,” Grieg Seafood’s communications director Kristina Furnes told Ilaks on the 4 May.
