Salmon lice infected salmon with open wounds from the lice. Photo: Norges Miljøvernforbund

In peaceful Norway a war is raging. And now the first victories from the battle front is being reported. This time from Norwegian TV2, who yesterday informed us that one of the major supermarket chains in the country, ICA, Rema 1000, NorgesGruppen and Coop has laid down an ultimatum against the farmed salmon industry.

Basically it goes as follows: ICA demands that the fish farming  industry gets environmentally sustainable, and moves it’s production to closed facilities within 3 years. And that they document that there is no health risk associated with eating farmed salmon. If not ICA and the other supermarket chains that virtually control the entire Norwegian food market, will cease the sale of farmed salmon in their stores.

Alternatives to the open net farming practiced today is under development, but the fish farming industry has been reluctant to invest in them.

-If fish has a tendency to attract certain diseases, one tries to prevent these diseases with agents that can be hazardous. Not only for the consumers in high concentrations, but also for other species in the environment says Antonio Soares, C.E.O of ICA to TV2

And he is right. Norwegian fish farmers have now started large scale medication against salmon lice.

The Norwegian salmon industry is now ready to embark on the grand scale poisoning of the norwegian coastline from Lofoten in the north to Lindesnes in the south.

At least 554 fish farms has applied to use Ektobann or Releaze to cure their multi resistant lice infected salmon over the next 5 months.  This is about 50% of all fish farms in Norway. In Rogaland more than 70% of the fish farms have applied to use the poison says TV2.

A report from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research from 1999 says that these are poisonous for crustacea even in minuscule concentrations. A new report from the institute confirms this (NJFF).

– There is absolutely reason to worry over grand scale use of medicine against salmon lice. If the veterinaries say that they need these amounts, we have approved the applications.  says Tonje Høy of the Norwegian Medicines Agency to the newspaper Firda

So how much of this are they planning to release? I have looked at one salmon company, Pundslett Laks in the northern Lofoten Area. Some of their farms is situated in Raftsundet, near the famous Trollfjorden that thousands of passengers of Hurtigruten visits every year.

Pundslett Laks have applied to release 35 tons of feed pellets containing 2 grams of Ektobann per kilo. That is about 70 kilos of Ektobann released into the sea from the 8 fish farms that they have in the area. Most of it will however not be consumed by the farm salmon. Most of it will be consumed by wild cod and coal fish in and around the farms.

Unlike the farmed salmon that will be in quarantine  and can not be slaughtered for human consumption for 100 days after medication with Ektobann, there is no such restriction on wild fish. And when we now that feed pellets from fish farms have been found as much as 20 km from the nearest fish farm there is reason to be alarmed.