Lice impact on wild salmon in Norway has not changed, says steering group
The impact of sea lice from Norwegian salmon farms on migrating wild salmon smolts is the same this year as it was in 2024, according to a new assessment by a government-appointed steering group.
The group comprises one representative from each three institutes: the Veterinary Institute (VI), the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).
Its assessment influences the “traffic light” colours allocated by the state to each of the 13 salmonid production areas on Norway’s west coast, from PO1 in the south to PO13 in the far north.
Fish farmers in areas given a red light in the biennial process must reduce production by 6%. Production can stay the same in yellow areas, and in the green areas farmers have the option to buy up to 6% of extra licensed capacity from the state.
As in 2024, the 2025 assessment designates production area 3 from Karmøy to Sotra has high risk (red), while production areas 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 have moderate risk (yellow). Only production areas 1, 12 and 13 are in the low risk (green) category.
The steering group’s assessment is based on analyses of available data by the Expert Group of 10 representatives from seven institutions, including VI, IMR (2), and NINA.
“The publication gives the industry the opportunity to provide input on the scientific basis before we colour the production areas. The actual colouring will not be decided until the first quarter of 2026,” said fisheries minister Marianne Næss.
Dialogue meeting
The steering group will hold a dialogue meeting in early January, where they and the Expert Group will review the reports. It will be possible to submit short professional contributions and request clarifications. NINA will also present its work on assessing the impact of sea lice on sea trout and the results for 2024 and 2025.
NINA has developed a model for the impact of sea lice on sea trout and calculated the impact for 2021 and 2024. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries has commissioned a similar calculation for 2025, which is expected to be ready in December. The model is not yet a full-fledged indicator, but corresponds to the models included in the indicator for wild salmon.
The Ministry is now assessing whether NINA’s model can form the basis for a future sea trout indicator. Such an indicator can be included in the assessments at the earliest in 2026, and if assessments are available for 2026 and 2027, sea trout can be included in the colouring at the earliest in 2028.
