Seal sighting leads to discovery of net damage at Røvær Fjordbruk site.
Røvær Fjordbruk has reported a suspected escape of farmed salmon from its Flatholmen site in Haugesund municipality after a seal was found inside one of the pens during storm conditions.
The animal was spotted in cage 3 on 5 August, prompting suspicion of net damage. Poor weather delayed inspection until the following morning, when an ROV and divers confirmed two holes in the net at a depth of around 15 metres. The damage was repaired immediately, according to a press release from the salmon producer.
The pen contained 144,526 salmon with an average weight of 2.51 kg. As of 8 August, 15 salmon have been recaptured, with the total number of escaped fish still unknown.
The company has deployed additional recapture nets and is working with the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries to determine the cause of the incident.
