Cermaq chief executive Steven Rafferty said Norway’s regulatory framework for salmon farming is slowing industry development.
Speaking during a panel session at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) in Bergen, Rafferty said the current governance structure around aquaculture expansion is “not fit for purpose”.
“Our company operates up north and there is plenty of space in Finnmark to grow,” Rafferty said. “But to get a new site is a conflict between the local and central government. It takes years and years of effort, but it should be possible to do in a six-month period.”
Rafferty said the regulatory system should better reward companies demonstrating improved biological performance.
He also criticised Norway’s traffic light system: “The traffic light system is regional and doesn’t incentivise individual companies to do better,” Rafferty said.
He concluded by saying that while Norway’s regulatory processes can be slow, the country remains relatively transparent compared with other jurisdictions such as Canada, where Newfoundland is governed regionally while aquaculture in British Columbia is regulated by the federal government in Ottawa.
“It is rare you meet a fisheries minister who wants to close you down,” he said, referring to discussions with Canadian policymakers about the future of salmon farming.
“At the end of the day Norway is the most transparent when it comes to what they want to achieve as a regulator. In some other countries it is just a black box,” he said.