Cold kills salmon at Icelandic farms
Icelandic salmon farmer Arnarlax expects almost 10% of its salmon to die this year because of a combination of cold sea temperatures and bacterial kidney disease, chairman Kjartan Olafsson has said.
Olafsson estimates that around 500 tonnes of salmon have been lost in the current die-off, and that around 1,000 tonnes have died this year, mostly in recent weeks.
Mortalities could reach 1,500 tonnes, 10% of production.
“This is one of the biggest challenges we face, trying to [get salmon to] live through weeks seven to nine [of the year]. This is completely known. Part of the industty’s challenge is to try and get it.”
Earlier this week Arnarlax chief executive Kristian Matthiasson said water temperatures were three degrees lower than last year, and that bad weather and equipment problems forced the company to move fish in temperatures of 0.5°C, which led to a high number of fish deaths in a cage on one site, Talknafjordnur.
He said harvesting in cold temperatures also meant handling and stress for fish, leading to increased mortality at another site, Hringsdal.
In a statement on its website, Arnarlax said: “Nevertheless, the result in Hringsdal is one of the best seen in Iceland since the beginning of salmon farming.”
