An explosion in the oxygen supply system resulted in the death of approximately 200,000 juvenile fish at Sigerfjord Fisk, the largest supplier of Arctic char in Norway.
Sigerfjord Fisk, is based in Sigerfjord, Sortland municipality, Vesterålen, with production facilities in Fiskfjord, Hadsel municipality, on Hinnøya.
On the afternoon of July 24, an explosion occurred in the oxygen cone that supplies oxygen to the water. With prompt action the system was restored by 2 a.m., but it was too late for a large percentage of the fish at the facility.
The incident was described as a nightmare by owner Trond Geir Reinsnes.
“Mostly it’s false alarms we get, but when I saw that it concerned a cone that adds oxygen to the water, I became more worried. A problem there is almost always a disaster,” said Reinsnes.
Reinsnes and his team have since invested in new oxygen cones and are working to increase production to offset the losses. “When working with live animals, you have to expect setbacks. It’s important to look ahead and work towards recovery. I don’t feel we are down and out,” Reinsnes added.
The incident is currently under investigation, and Reinsnes confirmed that they will receive compensation for the lost fish.
“The loss of 200,000 out of 650,000 fish is not a total crisis. It would have been worse if we had fewer juveniles,” said Reinsnes.
