An incident at Lerøy Midt’s Naustneset site leads to the escape of 5,000 salmon.
Lerøy Midt has reported a breach at the Naustneset site in Tingvollfjorden, Gjemnes municipality, where approximately 5,000 large salmon, each weighing about six kilos, escaped on 27 February 2024.
The company has mobilized additional resources to repair the channel damage and recapture the escaped fish, in close collaboration with the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries and other relevant authorities.
Harald Larssen, General Manager of Lerøy Midt, stated that an emergency plan was immediately implemented, involving the deployment of 1,200 meters of recapture nets within the permitted area. The company is also coordinating with local fishermen, offering a bounty of NOK 350 ($33.05) per recaptured fish. Those fishing in the area are urged to comply with local fishing rules and report any catches to Lerøy.
“We deeply regret the incident. We have an ambition of zero escapes, and take this very seriously. Lerøy has its own environmental and safety group which has now started work to find the cause of the escape. Our priority is to limit the extent of the damage and learn from the incident to avoid future escapes,” said Larssen.
The incident occurred during a harvesting process at the site, according to a statement from the Leroy, prompting the company to request extra well boat capacity to remove remaining fish from the damaged seine. This allowed the company to provide an initial estimate of the scale of the escape.
The company has initiated an investigation through its environmental and safety group to determine the cause of the escape and to implement measures to prevent future incidents.
