200 non-seawater adapted 7-gram fry ended up in the sea.
SalMar has reported an incident at its juvenile fish facility in Jøvika, Senja, resulting in the mortality and destruction of approximately 200,000 fry, each weighing about 7 grams.
The incident, which took place in November, was attributed to the improper assembly of barriers in a fish tank, specifically the center sieves of the tank. Consequently, the fish entered the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), biofilter, and fish trap.
Most of the fry were captured by the fish trap, an additional barrier designed to prevent escape. However, about 200 non-seawater adapted 7-gram fry ended up in the sea. Of these, eight were recaptured using recovery nets, while the remainder are presumed dead due to the incident.
SalMar has kept the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Directorate of Fisheries informed about the ongoing investigation into the scope and cause of the incident.
The company is undertaking necessary equipment adjustments to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
