New rules, same challenges
Fisheries Director Liv Holmefjord believes the new rules proposed in the government's freshly published action plan for the fish farming industry will not create additional challenges for the industry.
"In many ways, it is up to the industry itself to determine whether to increase or decrease production. According to the proposals certain fish health indicators will decide within given production areas," says Holmefjord.
She does not think this is going to offer additional challenges for management in relation to the current system.
"Management already has a division in terms of monitoring and control. We work closely with the Food Safety Authorities (FSA) and will cooperate more in the future," says Holmefjord.
Currently the Directorate of Fisheries handles escape issues, while FSA handles matters pertaining to fish health.
Low speed
The idea was first mooted four years ago, when the Gullstad Committee came up with a set of recommendations on use of the coastal areas, and how the aquaculture industry should fit in. The main aim was to divide the coast into production zones within which conditions should be monitored and treated individually. No increase in production would be allowed, for example, if fish health status was not satisfactory.
Four years later the same idea is back on the political agenda.
"There are often matters that need a certain maturation period, but I think that [the implementation of this idea] should have gone faster," Holmefjord reflects.
She adds she is pleased by plans for the industry to create an environment fund to take care of the costs of the attempted recovery of escapees - a process that is currently largely based on random volunteer efforts.
