Can't tell farmed salmon from wild salmon

One of the main problems in the current discussion about accidental escapes of farmed salmon is that people can no longer tell farmed fish apart from wild fish. This is according to Daníel Jakobsson, CEO of Arctic Fish in Ísafjörður.

Jakobsson is the guest on the latest episode of Spursmál, where he discusses various aspects of salmon farming, including accidental escapes such as those that occurred at his company earlier this summer and in 2023, when a massive escape took place from one of their pens. Below is part of a conversation between journalist Stefán Einar Stefánsson and Jakobsson.

Isn't the demand that no fish escape?

Stefánsson:
I want to start with perhaps the most serious issue here, one that has received a lot of attention. There was a recent report from Haukadalsá, a stunningly beautiful salmon river, where people believe they have spotted farmed salmon — not for the first time. At the same time, there was an announcement that a hole had been found in one of your pens in Dýrafjörður. Am I remembering this correctly? Shouldn’t it simply be an absolute requirement that no salmon escape from these pens if this type of farming is to be allowed? Or is that just wishful thinking from those who don’t understand how the system works?

Seals to blame?

Jakobsson :
“That is absolutely our daily goal. However, handling the fish can be challenging, especially when we are moving them onto boats for counting or treatment. We have to take them out of the pen and into a well boat to treat them — for example, for sea lice or before slaughter.

We are also farming in locations that would have been considered impossible twenty years ago. Conditions are very demanding. In this case, with the hole, we suspect a seal might have bitten through the net. That’s one theory, though we cannot confirm it.”

He continues:

“The weakness of our equipment is that there is only one barrier between the fish and escape — a single net. Think of it like a car with only an airbag or a seatbelt, not both. If that one barrier fails, the fish can escape.

It would be ideal to have two layers of netting, but that would make cleaning far more complicated and could affect oxygen flow in the pen. We are working toward a zero-escape target, but realistically, accidents will happen.

For example, the Food and Veterinary Authority now requires increased monitoring when fish reach over four kilograms. We are using better and better underwater cameras and drones to check the pens daily. Divers also perform inspections. Our aim is always that no fish escape, but we must acknowledge that accidents are possible.”

Massive escapes have occurred

Stefánsson:
But there have been major escapes, not only from your company but also from Arnarlax, with very large numbers of fish getting out.

Jakobsson:
“Yes, that’s true. We believe we can prevent large-scale escapes by following strict rules — for instance, regarding fish approaching sexual maturity.

We are ready to consider whether we should even be raising fish beyond six or seven kilograms at certain times of year. The risk is far greater then because such fish, if they escape, are more likely to swim straight into rivers instead of out to sea, where they might otherwise die.

It is absolutely not in our interest for farmed fish to swim into rivers. I fully understand that landowners and river rights holders don’t want farmed salmon showing up in their rivers.”

Hard to tell farmed from wild salmon

Jakobsson says there is now another issue:
“The problem today is that our farmed fish look so good that many anglers can’t tell them apart from wild salmon. They end up catching all kinds of salmon and thinking they’re farmed, only to find out they’re wild.

If you look to Norway, escaped fish are not considered a major problem for salmon farming anymore. In fact, a recent Norwegian report stated for the first time that the biggest threat to wild salmon is anglers themselves, not sea lice or escaped farmed salmon.”

Stefánsson :
Because of catch-and-release fishing?

Jakobsson:
“Yes, fishing itself — in all forms — has a greater impact on wild salmon populations than sea lice or farmed fish.”

Better technology, stronger equipment

Stefánsson:
You mentioned the possibility of using double nets. Are we going to see new technology or methods soon that will reduce this risk further?

Jakobsson:
“The equipment is constantly improving. For example, all nets we buy this year are much stronger than before. Even stronger nets exist, though they are very expensive.

We also now have advanced camera systems that can track daily growth of each fish in grams, assess whether they are nearing maturity using AI, and even detect wounds and monitor whether they are healing. The technology has advanced enormously, and all equipment must meet strict standards.”

Human error is the greatest risk

Jakobsson stresses that human error is the main cause of escapes:
“Almost all escapes happen because of human mistakes.

In our last incident, proper procedures were not followed — a feeding arm was pulled too close to the net, tearing a hole. If procedures are followed correctly and staff avoid errors — which, of course, varies because we’re all human — we can prevent major escapes.”

Monitoring and drones

The hole in this latest incident measured about 30 by 40 centimeters, and regulations require that the entire net be inspected every 30 days.

Stefánsson:
Is that frequent enough? Shouldn’t there be stricter monitoring to catch holes immediately?

Jakobsson:
“With our cameras, we can inspect high-risk areas daily. Staff also physically check every pen each day.

In the near future, we expect drones to play a larger role. Eventually, drones could become as cheap and commonplace as lawnmowers — automatically patrolling the pens each morning to check every part of the net. That technology could be here very soon.”