The small farmer has lost half of his fish.
Ballangen Sjøfarm, which is located in Ofotfjorden, Northern Norway, is particularly hard hit by the extensive algae attack.
“We have lost 2.7 million fish, just over 3,000 tonnes. There are well over 50 percent of the fish we have,” says CEO of Ballangen Sjøfarm, Ottar Bakke, to NRK.
He says they have focused on limiting losses.
“We will get back to the figures, but there will soon be values lost for between NOK 150 and 200 million (€15.3-20.4 million).”
In Nordland, it now appears that the algae front pulls out west of Ofotfjorden and two new sites were affected yesterday. There is now increasing mortality in outer parts of the fjord, while there is still some mortality in middle and inner parts, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.
According to the forecast for water transport, the flow out of Ofotfjorden will continue for the next 24 hours.
The capacity of the dead fish management is still challenging, and in order to minimize the consequences of the algae bloom, the Directorate of Fisheries is prepared to contribute to the necessary temporary exemptions from the regulations being given, within reasonable limits.
Analyzes of a sample from Mjøsund in Troms region show the presence of Chrysochromulina spp, but the algae picture may be complex.
