Norwegian fisheries minister asked to put salmon production cuts on hold

A row over the Norwegian government’s decision to carry on cutting back salmon production under the “traffic light system” that it admits doesn’t work very well has reached parliamentary level, Fish Farming Expert's Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no, reports.

MP Helge André Njåstad, a member of the libertarian Progress Party (FrP), has asked fisheries and oceans minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss to explain why the government is moving forward with a new reduction in production area 3 before a new regulatory system and a broader knowledge base are in place.

The traffic light system is based on the perceived risk posed to wild migrating salmon smolts by sea lice that are said to emanate from salmon farms. It gives each of Norway’s 13 fish farming production areas a red, yellow, or green light every two years, signalling whether production must be reduced, stay the same, or can grow, respectively.

Production area 3, from Karmøy to Sotra, was last week given a red light for the third time in a row, implying that farmers in the area will again have their maximum allowed biomass (MAB) reduced by 6%. It was the only area to receive a red light.

Does not work well

The red light designation has been delivered despite increasing acknowledgement that reductions in MAB have not had an impact on wild salmon numbers, and that changes in numbers of returning wild salmon do not correlate with red light reductions.

“Why does the minister choose to implement a new reduction in PO3 with a traffic light system that the government itself believes does not work well enough, before the demand by the Storting (Norwegian parliament) for a better knowledge base has been followed up and before a new regulatory system is in place,” Njåstad has asked.

The politician, whose Hordaland constituency encompasses much of production area 3, also urges Sivertsen Næss to take the initiative to postpone the reduction until both new knowledge base and the new regulatory system are ready.

Coastal communities

Njåstad writes that a decision to impose another reduction in output will have major consequences for businesses along the coast.

“This is a political choice with major consequences. Fewer fish in the sea provide less raw material for slaughterhouses, packing plants and processing. Local suppliers, transporters, service companies and year-round jobs along the coast are affected,” he writes.

The Storting's order

Njåstad further points out that Norway’s parliament, the Storting, has requested a broader knowledge base about what affects wild salmon, how important sea lice are compared to other factors, and which measures actually work.

The parliamentary representative also highlights that the government has announced changes to the current traffic light system as part of the follow-up to the government’s Aquaculture Report.

“It then appears unlikely to use the same system for new deductions before better knowledge and new regulations are in place,” writes Njåstad.

The minister's response is not yet available.