They are hailed for their omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, but Norway's salmon are not in the best of health themselves at the fish farms where they are bred.
The salmon succumb to illnesses of the pancreas, gills or heart, or to injuries suffered during the removal of sea lice parasites.is a waste of life and resources," Edgar Brun, director of Aquatic Animal Health and Welfare at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, told AFP.Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
"The pathogens that cause these illnesses in the salmon cannot be passed on to humans," Brun explained."If you buy meat in a store, you expect it to come from an animal that was slaughtered in line with regulations and not one that was lying dead outside the barn," said Trygve Poppe, a specialist in fish health.
Robert Eriksson, head of the Norwegian Seafood Association which represents small producers -- generally considered less at fault -- said the irregularities reported at some breeders were"totally unacceptable".Taking shortcuts means"you get punished by the market and the economic impact is much bigger than the few extra kilos you sold."
It is precisely the speed at which the fish are bred that is the problem, according to fish health specialist Poppe, who criticised the"terribly bad animal conditions" and who has stopped eating farmed salmon."The salmon are subjected to stress their entire lives, from the time they hatch in fresh water until their slaughter," said Poppe.
"We have bred a farmed fish that has poor chances of survival and which is dying from a combination of stress and bad genes because it's been bred to grow as fast as possible and subjected to a major change in diet."