Norway’s Supreme Court Appeals Committee has rejected an appeal by Aller Aqua Norway, making final a lower court ruling that imposed a NOK 5 million (€465,000) fine following the escape of approximately 35,000 salmon from one of the company’s facilities.
The case relates to an incident at Aller Aqua’s site in Vadheim, western Norway, in October 2022.
The Gulating Court of Appeal previously upheld the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries’ assessment of the incident, concluding that the violations were serious and warranting a corporate fine as well as legal costs.
The Supreme Court’s decision means the ruling is now legally binding.
“It is important that serious breaches of the regulations have consequences. This case underlines the farmer’s responsibility to ensure technically and environmentally sound operations,” said Fisheries Director Frank Bakke-Jensen.
According to the Directorate of Fisheries, the Court of Appeal placed particular emphasis on deficiencies in internal control procedures, inadequate risk assessments and the decision to carry out the operation despite challenging weather conditions.
The court also highlighted the environmental risks associated with the escape. The fish were sexually mature and infected with pancreas disease (PD), a viral disease affecting salmon, and escaped into a designated national salmon fjord during the spawning season for wild Atlantic salmon.
National salmon fjords are protected areas established by Norway to safeguard wild salmon populations from the impacts of aquaculture activities, including escaped farmed fish and disease transmission.
