WellFish Tech has received clearance from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) for the use of non-lethal blood sampling in commercial Atlantic salmon farming, becoming the first method of its kind to meet Norway’s welfare documentation requirements.
The approval removes a prohibition that had been in place for several years and allows fish health personnel to collect diagnostic blood samples from live salmon and return the fish to the production environment.
The decision follows a multi-year research and documentation programme, including trials carried out at LetSea in Norway and AquaBioTech Group in Malta. The Norwegian sea cage trial, conducted in spring 2025 at water temperatures of 5–8°C, evaluated the method under cold-water conditions considered challenging for welfare and wound healing.
According to WellFish Tech, both trials showed the procedure could be carried out without compromising fish survival, growth or welfare when performed by trained personnel under the company’s standardised protocol.
The approved method involves blood sampling from the caudal vein under anaesthesia and enables access to biochemical biomarkers intended to provide insight into fish physiological status.
The clearance applies to Atlantic salmon above 500 grams, with a maximum sample volume of 1 mL per fish and a minimum interval of 14 days between repeated sampling of the same fish. The procedure must be conducted under the responsibility of authorised fish health personnel.
WellFish Tech completed revisions to its standard operating procedure on 4 May 2026, which now governs all activity carried out under the company’s non-lethal blood sampling service.
The Paisley-headquartered company employs 26 people and operates in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Norway and Canada.
