The escape occurred on May 5, when a hole in a net allowed salmon to escape during preparations for fish delivery.
Norwegian salmon farming giant Lerøy has recaptured approximately 1,200 farmed salmon following an escape incident at their Reitholmen site in Hitra that occured earlier this month.
The Directorate of Fisheries announced on Wednesday that it has ordered Lerøy Midt to extend the recapture efforts for another week.
The escape occurred on May 5, when a hole in a net allowed salmon to escape during preparations for fish delivery. Initially, Lerøy reported approximately 14,000 salmon had escaped, but this number was later revised to 8,400, each weighing an average of 7.3 kilograms.
By May 20, Lerøy efforts have led to the recapture of around 1,200 salmon. These efforts involved both hired vessels and on-site recovery, with an additional 140 salmon recaptured at the monitoring station in Agdenes.
In consultation with the State Administrator, the Directorate of Fisheries has mandated an extended recapture operation in the Fillfjorden area on the east side of Hitra. This mandate is reviewed and potentially extended weekly, with the recapture area expanded to include Storskogøya, Vassgåsholmen, and Gunnarøya. The measures take into account the potential impact on wild salmon populations.
