Cermaq reports 95% survival rate

INTERNATIONAL fish farmer Cermaq achieved a 95% survival rate for its Atlantic salmon last year, but variances between areas show there is room for improvement.

The conclusions come from Cermaq’s GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) Report for 2021. The report is based on the Global Reporting Initiative protocols, and includes detailed information about, for example: vaccination of fish, medicine use, sea lice treatment, ingredients in the salmon feed, interaction with wildlife (birds and mammals), escapes, energy use, occupational health and safety (OHS) figures, and taxes and investments per country.

Cermaq said in a statement accompanying the report: “Scoring fish welfare on three levels; environmental, population and individual is an important tool to increase survival rate.”

Cermaq did not quite reach its goal of zero escapes in 2021, with just over 5,600 fish recorded as escaping, out of the group’s 90 million worldwide.

For mortalities, Cermaq’s operations in Chile and Norway saw slight increases, but the rate remained under 4% for Chile and around 5% for Norway. The mortality rate in Canada was just under 10%, representing an improvement compared with the 12% recorded for 2020.

Lars Galtung, Director for Sustainability and Communication with Cermaq, said: “Facts about salmon farming performance are needed for improvement in operations but also for constructive discussion and dialogue with stakeholders. This has been the basis for Cermaq’s comprehensive sustainability reporting and why our report is externally reviewed by our auditors.”

The report can be downloaded from Cermaq’s website www.cermaq.com