Norway's salmon mortality declined slightly in 2024, says Veterinary Institute

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute (Veterinærinstituttet) has reported data indicating that the mortality rate of farmed salmon has declined slightly in 2024, following the crisis situation in 2023 when Norway recorded its highest-ever mortality rate of sea-phase salmon, reaching 62.8 million, and prompting calls for serious action on fish health and welfare.

According to the Institute, which is due to release its annual Fish Health Report in March, 57.8 million mortalities of farmed salmon were registered in the sea phase in 2024, as reported by farmers to the Directorate of Fisheries. The final figure may vary slightly due to ongoing reporting, the Institute notes.

"The figures show that the increase in mortality we have had in recent years fortunately did not continue in 2024," said Ingunn Sommerset, Director of the Department of Fish Health and Welfare at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, in a Norwegian language press release.

"Whether this is the start of a new trend is too early to say, but we see that many farmers are working purposefully with various strategies to reduce mortality," Sommerset added.

The Institute says that the mortality rate in 2024 is at a similar level to that of 2021, but higher than in 2022.

"We will return to what lies behind the mortality figures in 2024 and other factors that affect the health and welfare situation of Norwegian farmed fish in the Fish Health Report," Sommerset said.

The report will be presented at the FriskFisk conference in Tromsø on March 11, 2025.

About the Norwegian Veterinary Institute

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute is a biomedical research institute and Norway's leading professional community within biosafety for fish and terrestrial animals, established in 1891. Its core activities include research, diagnostics, surveillance, risk assessment, advice and dissemination, and it is also a national and international reference laboratory.