Norwegian seafood industry group seeks national standard for fish health and welfare

The Norwegian Seafood Industry Association Sjømatbedriftene has announced plans to begin work on a national standard for fish health and welfare in aquaculture, arguing that clearer benchmarks are needed to measure progress and rebuild public confidence in the sector.

The industry group said this week it will appoint a committee of experts to develop the proposed standard and outline how the industry could meet targets for improving fish health.

“Reputation surveys in recent years show that the seafood industry, and especially the aquaculture industry, has a strong decline in public trust,” the association said in a statement.

Concerns about fish welfare have been a recurring issue in the debate around Norwegian salmon farming. Although industry data suggest mortality levels have been falling and fish health indicators improving, Sjømatbedriftene acknowledged that the sector has not yet reached the targets set by the country's regulators.

Norway’s parliament, the Storting, has adopted a goal of reducing mortality during the sea phase of aquaculture production to 5%. Work to translate that objective into regulation is ongoing, including through the government’s Aquaculture White Paper and regulatory changes involving the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Directorate of Fisheries.

However, Sjømatbedriftene argues that consistency and shared definitions within the industry are key to achieving this.

"In order to measure and record fish welfare in a consistent manner, and to ensure that the industry achieves the desired results, there will be a need for a uniform and good national standard for how measurements and assessments should be carried out. Sjømatbedriftene is aware that a lot of good work has already been done in the area, but that there is a need for this to be collected in an overall national standard," the organisation stated.

As a first step, the association said it planned to create a committee made up of veterinarians, biologists and fish health specialists, including four representatives from member companies and up to three external experts, to develop the standard and define a roadmap for Norway’s aquaculture sector.

The Sjømatbedriftene proposal comes after the publication this week of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute's annual Fish Health Report, and follows calls by other veterinary associations for fish health and welfare to be given greater focus and legislative weight, with incentives and penalties depending on operators' performance.

In February, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) announced it is preparing a new set of animal welfare rules for the aquaculture sector, with entry into force planned for January 2027.

Audits of 20 aquaculture companies carried out by Mattilsynet in 2024-2025 found "recurring weaknesses" in risk management and use of fish welfare data. The authority has since announced the 12 fish farming companies it will be auditing this year, with several hatchery operators included for the first time.