Norway tightens reporting requirements for fish losses
From January 2027, Norwegian fish farmers must report daily figures for fish losses and numbers of fish. New categories will also make it easier to distinguish between mortality and culling.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) announced the rule changes today, reports Fish Farming Expert's Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no.
Currently, farmers report total losses for each month, which can make periods of high mortality difficult to identify in the statistics.
With the new requirements, losses must be reported per day, making it easier to see when the fish die and compare this with events such as delousing, treatment and moving fish.
Farmers already record daily figures for dead fish and the number of fish. The change means that this information will also be reported to the authorities.
Differences between mortality and culling
At the same time, four common categories for fish losses are introduced: mortality, culling, escape, and discards from slaughterhouses.
An important change is that culling is separated into a separate category. This will make it possible to distinguish between fish that die from disease or other causes, and fish that are actively culled, for example to prevent the spread of infection.
For mortality and culling, farmers must also state the cause. These are divided into six categories, including infectious diseases, environmental conditions, injuries and trauma, and physiological causes.
First deadline in February
Although the figures are to be reported daily, the report itself must still be sent monthly to the Directorate of Fisheries.
The new requirements apply from January 2027, and the first reporting deadline is February 7.
The Directorate of Fisheries is now developing the technical solution for reporting. The specifications will be available on November 20, at the same time that system suppliers can start testing.
The requirements have been developed by the Directorate of Fisheries and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research, the Veterinary Institute and the aquaculture industry.
After approximately one year, the authorities, the industry and the knowledge community will evaluate whether the new loss categories are working as intended.
