Need for a recapture strategy
According to figures from the Directorate of Fisheries, 150,000 salmon and rainbow trout escaped from sites in Hordaland during December and January following the storm "Nina".
"One will probably expect that such things can happen in the future in connection with extreme weather. However, what is most surprising is the absence of an overall strategy to reduce any negative impact," Nylund reflects.
He notes that recapture of the fish seems to be entrusted to efforts by individual facilities, incidental anglers and environmental organizations.
"And what is done to determine whether the escaped fish can be carriers of fish pathogens? Infected salmon and rainbow trout on the run will undoubtedly represent a high risk to other farms in reasonable proximity and, if the escaped fish enter the rivers, we will not be able to exclude the spread of disease also to wild salmon and trout in these rivers," he told Salmonview's Norwegian website kyst.no.
