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We want our fish to grow, be healthy and happy. One of the challenges the industry face today is that non-medical treatment against salmon lice creates challenges with regards to fish welfare. It is also demanding to ensure good fish welfare for cleaner fish that are used as an alternative to non-medical treatment.
We shall have a clear strategy for salmon lice management with the aim of improving fish welfare and reducing mortality, reducing and improving the use of non-medicinal treatment and reducing the use of cleaner fish.
Eide has a continuous focus on fish health and welfare and has, among other things, appointed its own veterinarian with responsibility for fish health and welfare. All our facilities are subject to inspections and audits by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and use external fish health services. All facilities are certified according to Global GAP, a standard that also covers topics related to fish health and welfare.
Many of the challenges within this topic can be traced back to the challenges of handling salmon lice. The salmon louse is a parasite that exists naturally in the ocean and that only lives on salmonid species. Since there are many farmed salmon compared to wild salmon this will increase the infection pressure if farmers do not take measures to keeping the number of lice low. To prevent this, there are strict limits on how many lice there can be per fish. However, treatments to keep the lice away can be stressful and potentially harm the fish. Many of the alternative treatment methods have other challenges. Using medicals lead to drug resistance and may impact the environment, while using cleaner fish brings its own fish welfare issues.
Our strategy for sea lice management include five different categories of measures, each with its pros and cons. Every site has its own unique strategy, adapted to the local site conditions.
We aim to keep lice levels below 0.1 adult female lice per fish on all our sites in the period when the wild salmon and trout migrate from the rivers towards the ocean. All sites shall count and report lice levels on a weekly basis.
We aim to handle the sea lice primarily through preventive measures. These measures are normally better for both the fish and the environment. However, succeeding with preventive measures are challenging, and a wide range of different measures are needed, all of which require significant investments, knowledge and experience.
We use a combination of genetics, feed, larger smolts, lice tarpaulins, snorkel cages and closed cages to prevent lice infestations.
During recent years Eide invested heavily in preventive measures. In 2023 we will complete the construction of a RAS-facility for production of large smolts through Ænes Inkubator AS. We also invested in snorkel cages, closed cages in the sea, sensors and data.
When preventive measures alone is not sufficient, we also use cleaner fish. The cleaner fish is one of natures own delicers, where different fish species have adapted to feed on lice from the salmon. Using cleaner fish has no negative consequences for the salmon, but it is challenging to ensure good conditions for the cleaner fish, and a large share of the cleaner fish die in the cage.
When using wild caught cleaner fish we also need to consider the population of these species. Using cleaner fish is still a necessary tool in a sea lice management strategy. However, we aim to both reduce the number of cleaner fish used while improving the conditions for the cleaner fish. The cleaner fish has hiding and resting space in the cage and is given its own feed.
The use of cleaner fish increased in 2022 compared to 2021. The main reason for the increase is increased production of salmon and the fact that from 2022 we have also had access to farmed cleaner fish (Ballan wrasse). Farmed cleaner fish is also available outside the season for wild-caught cleaner fish and helps to reduce the pressure on wild stocks of cleaner fish like the Ballan wrasse.
When this is also insufficient, we use non-medical treatments using either freshwater or tempered water. These methods does not impact the environment, but it is stressful for the fish to be handled and treated. A high share of the fish mortality in the industry can be traced back to this category of lice treatment measures. These environmentally friendly measures are an important tool in a sea lice management strategy, but we work thoroughly to improve both the technology and the operations to make it better for the fish.
After several years with large investments in preventive measures we have started to see a small decline in reactive measures. However, this effect is partly offset by stricter permitted lice levels.
Medical treatment or early harvest are the last measures we can use if necessary. The medicals are gentle to the fish, but the lice adapts fast and builds resistance to new drugs. Some of the medicines may also potentially have a negative impact on wild species and we want to minimize the use from a precautionary principle. We aim to not use more than one medical treatment against lice per cycle.
The goal of no more than one medical treatment against lice per cycle was met. This has been medicine added through the feed, no medical bath treatments was used in the period. None of the medical treatments contain antibiotics.
Early harvest is the last measure available and is used when other measures are not available e.g., due to fish welfare or environmental considerations.
We have clear targets for reducing our waste. We have a goal of reducing the mortality rate to below 5 % from stocking in the sea to harvest (measured as % of smolts stocked) and we have a goal of zero escaped fish.
We work systematically and thoroughly to ensure good fish welfare and to reduce mortality from every decision ranging from genetics, vaccines and feed to improving operations. The dead fish is examined and categorized, and the development is followed closely over time. Incidents that lead to increased mortality is reported to the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities. We also invest in large scale data capture using censors at our pens to continuously log parameters like salinity, oxygen and currents to help us improve and learn.
The three biggest contributors to mortality are lice treatments (non-medical treatments), winter wounds and fish diseases such as Pancreas Disease (PD) and cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS).
To reduce the mortality associated with lice treatment, we work along three dimensions, where the first and most important is to avoid treatment by preventing salmon lice (see topic on salmon lice management). In addition, we work on improving the treatment operations to reduce the stress inflicted on the fish. Finally, we have invested in a standby vessel for use during treatment to help us slaughter weak fish that could otherwise die from the treatment.
To reduce mortality from winter wounds, we use functional feed that will help strengthen the mucus layer on the fish. In addition, it is important to avoid handling such as treatment against lice, sorting or moving fish with wounds. The winter sore is caused by a bacterium and the sore heals naturally when the temperature in the water rises again towards spring.
In order to reduce mortality linked to other diseases, we focus on using the latest available vaccines, as well as having a high focus on biosafety throughout the entire production.
The measures taken has resulted in a significant reduction in mortality compared to recent years. In our view, the improvement is mainly due to the continuous work and efforts from all our staff. In addition, the use of stun and bleed vessels and a reduction in the number of lice treatments has been important.
Despite the significant improvement this year our goal it not reached, and some sites still experience a high mortality rate. We will continue the work and measures going forward to keep mortality low and to further advance towards our 5 % goal.
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Based on a precautionary principle we want to minimize our use of chemicals in our production. We have also decided to not use more than one medical treatment per production cycle and to never use copper-based net fouling or antibiotics when farming our fish.
When farming fish we use chemicals for different purposes, including acids for ensilage of dead fish, sedatives and anesthetics for vaccination and transport, and detergents and disinfectants to keep our farms and equipment clean and safe. In addition, we sometimes use medicines for treatment against fish diseases or parasites.
We do risk assessments for all our drugs and chemicals and implement measures to reduce the risk of emissions to the environment or harm to our people or fish. We have a system in place to ensure that all chemicals are handled properly, that all staff are sufficiently trained, have the right protective wear and access to the product data sheet. Use of drugs and medicines is only done after prescription from a veterinary.
Based on a precautionary principle we have chosen not to use copper based anti-fouling on our nets. Copper is a metal with a long degradation time in nature and with a potential negative impact on the seabed under the farms. To achieve this goal, we have had to invest in acquire additional capacity for net cleaning since water based anti-fouling without copper is less effective.
To reduce the use of drugs and medicines against parasites such as the sea lice we use preventive measures and non-medical treatments when possible.
In 2022, we have used two different medical products against lice, both added through the feed, this applies to the products Slice and Releeze. Slice contains the active ingredient Emamectin-benzoate, while releeze contains the active ingredient Diflubenzuron. Organisms that can potentially be negatively affected by flubenzurons are crustaceans (crab, shrimp, crayfish, lobster etc.). As a precautionary principle, treatments are not carried out during periods when crustaceans change their shells and are potentially vulnerable to flubenzurons.
All use of drug treatment against lice only takes place based on a prescription issued by a veterinarian or fish health biologist in line with the requirements of the Animal Health Personnel Act. In connection with the issuing of prescriptions, a thorough assessment is made of whether the use is safe, which includes both the effect on the surrounding environment in line with the requirements and regulations in the Operation of Aquaculture Facilities Act, an assessment of possible resistance to the medicine to ensure that the treatment will have sufficient effect and an assessment against food safety.
The use of drugs and chemicals has been greatly reduced over the past decade. Since 2016, bathing treatment against lice has not been carried out and the use of medicine added through the feed has also been greatly reduced compared to previous practice and is now at a stable low level.
The target of a maximum of one medical treatment against salmon lice per production cycle was reached in both 2021 and 2022. Antibiotics or copper-based anti-fouling was not used.
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We have a goal of zero escaped fish from our farms. We also aim to work actively to increase the knowledge about the impact on wild salmon from salmon farming. Further, we aim to meet the strict “green light” conditions at all our sites regardless of the area’s traffic light status.
Wild salmon has been here in Norway since the last ice-age and has for as long been of great importance to us people who have lived here. Atlantic wild salmon is the only wild species of salmon in Europe, and about 1/3 of the population is in Norway.
We care about protecting the wild salmon and we try to minimize our negative impact on it. There are many factors that affect the wild salmon, but when it comes to impacts from aquaculture the two main factors are escape of farmed salmon and the spread of sea lice from farmed salmon to wild salmon.
We work systematically with risk assessment of operations, training and preventative maintenance and inspection of our equipment to prevent escapes. All our facilities follow the applicable technical standards.
Eide is an active part of several different research programs for wild salmon and sea trout to help to increase the knowledge on impacts from salmon farming on wild salmon and the development in stocks, migration patterns and premature return of wild salmon and trout in our region. One of these is “SalmonTracking” which observes migration patterns and population development to wild salmon and sea trout using cameras, computer chip and radio marking, antennas in waterways and detection buoys in the fjord and coastal environments. The project records population developments and monitors migration patterns in ten rivers in the region and records premature migration in 40 rivers. Norwegian academic institutions such as UiB, UiS, UiT, NTNU, NMBU are part of the project.
We have contingency plans to minimize the damages of escapes if it occurs with storage of recapture nets and agreements with local fishermen that will ensure that we recapture as many escaped fish as possible. We are also member of the fish farming industry’s association for the recapture of escaped farmed fish. The association aims to reduce the risk of genetic influence from aquaculture on wild populations of salmon fish by implementing measures in rivers where the impact of escaped fish is unacceptable.
Large amounts of sea lice can have negative impact on wild salmon and sea trout. A traffic light system shall act as an indicator of whether the impact from sea lice in fish farms on the wild fish is acceptable or not acceptable. Eide operate in two production areas (PO3 and PO4) which both has a red light in terms of potential impact on wild salmon. We work systematically to keep the sea lice levels on a low level by using a wide range of measures, (see more on this in the section on sea lice management for details) from preventive measures such as investing in capacity for larger smolts and applying tarpaulin skirts, to cleaner fish, non-medical treatment and medical treatments. The challenge is that all the available measures has their pros and cons. Medical treatments may increase the lice’s resistance to the drugs, while the non-medical may stress or be harmful to the fish. Cleaner fish is nature’s own treatment, but it is hard to provide good conditions for the cleaner fish in the cages. We therefore believe that cooperation, new technology and big data will be key in solving this complex challenge. To achieve this, we actively test a range of new products and solutions and take part in several large research programs directed towards gaining more knowledge about, and control of the salmon lice.
Eide has not had any incidents resulting in escaped fish in 2022. Eide has able to met the strict criteria for sustainable growth independent of the status of the area for eight of in total eleven sites. The average level of adult female lice on our sites has been at about the same level in 2022 as in previous years.
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We shall have a responsible approach to the purchase of feed and require that our feed suppliers do not contribute to deforestation and the alteration of new land areas, especially in vulnerable countries and important natural areas such as rainforests. We will make independent choices for our feed and carry out our own investigations and audits when necessary.
In addition, we will help to identify and realize opportunities for positive changes, such as the return of forests (reforestation), the return of marshland, be a driver for regenerative or organic farming practices and increase the use of new and more sustainable fed ingredients.
Although the salmon is by nature a carnivore, we also need to use some plant-based raw materials in the feed. This is because marine ingredients such as fishmeal and oil are finite resources.
An important but controversial plant-based feed ingredient is soy. The use of soy has been important to reduce the dependency on fishmeal, since soy, when refined into soy protein concentrate (SPC), is a very good source of protein. Soy is also the most efficient plant we have in terms of yield per hectare. However, there are two challenges with using soy;
The first challenge concerns the fact that much of the soy used for fish feed comes from Brazil, which has had challenges with deforestation in the Amazon in recent years. Although all soy used in Norwegian salmon feed is certified as deforestation-free and GMO-free (Proterra certification), it is demanding for a company like Eide to ensure that we have good enough routines in this area, especially in times with political unrest and an unclear situation on the ground in Brazil. We have therefore chosen not to use soy from Brazil in our feed for the time being. As an alternative, we use a combination of European soy, wheat gluten and fishmeal. This has an extra cost for us but provides an additional assurance and comfort that salmon from Eide does not in any way contribute to rainforest deforestation.
The other challenge with soy is that it is a plant with many anti-nutrients which can be difficult for the salmon to digest. This is one of the reasons why SPC is used instead, and one of the reasons why we at our R&D company Norforsk are testing the use of fermented soy to make this ingredient better for the fish.
We also consider changes in the ecosystem when we prepare our greenhouse gas accounts. Any change of area from, for example, forest, wetlands or rainforest to agricultural land means that CO2 is released into the atmosphere. We require these one-off emissions due to the area changes to be included in the carbon footprint of the feed that our feed suppliers report to us. Normally, these one-off emissions are distributed over a period of 20 years after the area was converted. You can read more about this in our greenhouse gas accounts, or in the section on carbon footprint in this report.
Being certified as a carbon neutral company and offering carbon neutral salmon, we support various projects that will both reduce CO2 emissions and restore ecosystems. We have supported the Seneca Meadows project in the USA, which restores wetlands and produces electricity from methane gas that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere through leakage from a large landfill. We also support the forest conservation project Darkwoods in Canada to preserve critical ecosystems and prevent deforestation. This is part of what you support when you buy a certified carbon-neutral Mamasea® salmon from us.
We believe that the world must change the way we produce our food, especially intensive industrial agriculture, which also produces raw materials for our feed. That is why I am also a pilot customer for a project with regenerative agriculture in Northern England. This also contributed positively to the ecosystems in the area, especially for insects and pollinators. You can read more about this project under the section on soil health.