"Farmed cod should not spawn in pens"

A recent report from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries (Fiskeridirektoratet, Fdir), showed that cod farmers are unable to prevent maturation and spawning in sea pens, which could have consequences for wild cod. "We have an important responsibility to protect and manage coastal cod, which is why farmed cod should not spawn in pens," Frank Bakke-Jensen, Norway's Fisheries Director, said on the subject. "We have a clear expectation that farmers will address this issue."

During the 2023-2024 season, Fdir conducted an inspection initiative focused on the maturation and spawning of farmed cod in sea cages. As Bakke-Jensen explained, to carry it out, all farmers who had cod in their second winter at sea were required to regularly monitor and report the degree of maturation.

The assessment of the degree of maturation was carried out following a standardized procedure. According to the statement from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, the results showed variations between companies, where the proportion of immature fish was low, and the proportion of mature fish remained high throughout the inspection.

"This means that more than 60% of the cod were at some stage of maturation at any given time," Bakke-Jensen explained. Even more, high levels of spawning and post-spawning fish were also observed in samples taken at the slaughterhouses.

"Spawning in pens can result in farmed cod escaping into the fjords, which can then spawn with wild cod and lead to genetic changes in cod populations," Fisheries Director Frank Bakke-Jensen continued. "This is an undesirable impact," he added.

Fdir recalled that coastal cod stocks along the Norwegian coast are vulnerable and weak. Therefore, Bakke-Jensen insisted that growth in cod farming must be "within environmentally sustainable limits."

Norway's Directorate of Fisheries also said it will continue to follow up on this inspection initiative and further develop it in the coming season.

So far, when inspections have found indications that part of the biomass of a site may evolve to spawning-ready the measure to be taken has been to speed up the harvesting process, with the consequent financial impact on the affected producers.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet), for its part, announced in June the establishment of new guidelines specifying the prohibition of cod farming in both spawning fields and spawning areas for wild cod.  Following its approval, it restarted the processing of applications to establish cod farming sites that had been stalled since March.