Sea lice are moving north along the Norwegian coast.
Yesterday, Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog reported extensive challenges with lice, but also pancreatic disease, from its sites in Western Norway (south of the Sognefjord). Aarskog told SalmonBusiness that sea lice has been a significant problem especially in July and August.
Cuts
The biological challenges are now so great that Marine Harvest has chosen to cut this year’s estimated harvest volume by 14,000 tonnes in the region.
This Thursday morning, it was the competitor SalMar’s turn to present their Q2 results. SalMar, which has a heavy presence in Central Norway, has so far ruled out the big lice challenges, but is now experiencing a change.
SalMar CEO Olav Andreas Ervik said that the company has some challenges ahead in terms of managing of the sea lice situation and that this will be reflected in the third and fourth quarter.
Increasing
“The situation is changing and the levels are increasing,” he said at the company’s quarterly presentation in Oslo according to TDN Finans.
In week 34, two percent of the country’s farming sites were above the authorities’ imposed lice limit, according to Barentswatch. Of these, one location, AquaGens Stokkvika in Hemne municipality, was the only one in central Norway. All other sites above the lice limit were in Western Norway.
