New data from The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries show more than 7,8 million salmon, at a weight of over 13,800 tonnes, has died because of the algae bloom.
Thursday fish farmer Nordlaks reported that their site Stormneset, in Nordland, has been hit by the algae bloom. So far at least 20,000 fish are dead, out of the 600,000 salmon at the site.
“It’s terrible that we have been hit at yet another site. It’s too early to say, but for the time being, mortality has not been as massive as it was on other sites,” said Lars Fredrik Martinussen, communications manager to SalmonBusiness.
Last weeks update from The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries showed 7,5 million dead salmon, at a total weight of at least 13,000 tonnes, this is now updated to more than 7,8 million, at a total weight of more than 13,800 tonnes.
Evacuation
Thursday Cermaq reported that they are evacuating four million salmon out of three sites in the Sagfjord area in Nordland.
“After reports of increasing concentrations of algae in several places in the Vestfjord, we decided to evacuate the fish from the sites Anevik, Hammer and Svartfjell. We have not recorded mortality at these sites. So far, the moving has gone as planned, but weather and wind conditions may affect the progress,” said communications manager at Cermaq, Astrid Aam.
So far Nordlaks and Ellingsen Seafood, plus Cermaq har evacuated fish.
Further development
There has not been recorded any more deaths in Troms after the algae attack hit the county earlier in May.
Reports from the Meteorological Institute show that the algae probably will continue moving in the same path as it has been, further southwest in Nordland.
The Directorate of Fisheries tells farmers to be aware of changes in behavior in the fish for the next 24 hours.
