“It really should be almost impossible”. On Friday, a mink whale – which can grow up to 10m in size – blasted its way into a cage at a site in Finnmark, Northern Norway, which belonged to salmon farmer Lerøy.
iFinnmark reported that the incident led to a large hole, which caused salmon to get out.
Lerøy Aurora CEO Kurt Einar Karlsen told the newspaper that the salmon farmer does not yet know how large the extent of escape is, but that rapid response from the employees probably led to a limited amount of damage.
“It simply gained good momentum and got through to the fish. It really should be almost impossible, but I know it has happened before too,” said Karlsen explained that he has has never experienced anything like it.
In May 2015, another daredevil mink whale swam into a Marine Harvest (today Mowi) salmon farm near Frøya, Central Norway. The same thing happened earlier this year to SalMar in Troms in the North of the country.
According to the Institute of Marine Research, minke whales can grow up to ten metres long, while the females are somewhat longer than the males.
The are also fast and agile swimmers, capable of reaching speeds of 16-21 knots (18-24 mph).
