Í vor kölluðu norsk samtök líffræðinga og sérfræðinga á sviði fisksjúkdóma eftir því að norsk stjórnvöld myndu skikka sjókvíeldisfyrirtækin til að koma afföllum undir 5 prósent á ári.
Í fyrra drápust um 17 prósent eldislaxa í sjókvíum við Noreg. Hér var hlutfallið rúmlega 23 prósent, eða hátt í fimm sinnum hærra en norsku samtökin krefja stjórnvöld um að verði viðmiðið þar í landi.
Viðmiðin um hvaða dauði þykir ásættnalegur er miklu hærri í lagareldisfrumvarpi Vinstri grænna. Samkvæmt því geta sjókvíaeldisfyrirtækin látið 20 prósent eldislaxanna drepast í sautján tímabil í röð áður en þau verða svipt starfsleyfi.
Fagráð Matvælastofnunar um dýravelferð hefur kallað eftir að matvælaráðuneytið skýri með afgerandi hætti hvaða afföll það telur ásættanleg. Þau svör hafa ekki borist enn.
Fagmiðillinn Fish Farming Expert fjallar um ákall sérfræðinganna:
A Norwegian trade union representing natural scientists and technologists, including fish health professionals, has demanded that the country’s salmon farming industry must be given a requirement of a maximum of 5% mortality within five years.
Tekna, which has 105,000 members, has also called for mortality to be factored into the “traffic light” system which determines which fish farmers are allowed to increase production and which must reduce it, based on the estimated harm done to wild salmon from sea lice. Tekna wants biomass reductions imposed on farmers with too high a mortality rate, while those with a low mortality rate are rewarded with the possibility of increased production.
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The union has carried out a survey among members who work as fish health biologists and fish veterinarians, in order to map how they feel at work and to what extent their professional advice and assessments about fish health and welfare are listened to by fish farmers. The results show that the fish health biologists experience a very high workload and challenging professional dilemmas as part of their daily work.
Nine out of ten have experienced burnout or physical problems at work. Six out of ten have considered quitting due to high workload.
One in four is worried about losing an assignment by going against the client’s beliefs about the need for delousing.