Aller Aqua fined NOK 2.7 million after salmon escape.
Sogn og Fjordane District Court has fined Aller Aqua Norge NOK 2.7 million ($270,000/€232,200) and ordered the company to pay NOK 100,000 ($10,000/€8,600) in legal costs following a major salmon escape in 2022, according to iLaks.
The case relates to an incident on 29 October 2022, when around 35,000 salmon escaped from the company’s Floteneset site in Vadheimsfjorden, Sogn. The facility was operated by Aller Aqua Norge, a subsidiary of the Danish feed producer Aller Aqua.
The escaped fish included sexually mature salmon and salmon with documented disease. The escape took place during the spawning season for wild salmon in Sognefjorden, where stocks are already under pressure. Prosecutors argued the incident carried a risk of significant environmental damage.
Aller Aqua was initially fined NOK 4.5 million ($450,000/€387,000), which it refused to pay. The state then sought an increased penalty of NOK 5.5 million ($550,000/€473,000), plus costs.
In assessing the penalty, the court pointed to the company’s financial capacity. Aller Aqua Norge reported revenue of NOK 495.3 million ($49.5m/€42.6m) and profit of NOK 2.1 million ($210,000/€181,000) in 2022. In 2024, revenue was NOK 269.1 million ($26.9m/€23.1m) with profit of NOK 7.7 million ($770,000/€662,000).
The judges concluded that the fine should be set at a deterrent level, starting from NOK 3 million ($300,000/€258,000). However, they reduced the amount to NOK 2.7 million, citing the length of the case proceedings.
The ruling was first reported by Ytre Sogn.
