Faroese salmon producer cuts fish mortality rate with new release method

A new system for transporting and releasing smolt at salmon farms has reduced mortality rates from four percent to less than one percent, Faroese broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Hiddenfjord, a Faroese salmon producer, has implemented the method, which involves transporting smolt in specialised tanks and pumping them directly into farming pens. “The mortality rate is much lower now, and the process is also significantly faster,” said Atli Gregersen, the company’s managing director.

The smolt, weighing between 600 and 1,300 grams, are moved from the Smoltstøðin hatchery in Fútaklettur to Hiddenfjord’s farming sites. The fish are first driven halfway to Bíggjardalur by tank before being pumped through 2,000 meters of hose into the pens. The method was developed in collaboration with the Faroese research agency Ráðstovan Kveiki and the company Hørdur Wardum.

Gregersen noted that while the smolt spend more time at the hatchery, their exposure to open water is reduced, contributing to the lower mortality rate.

Tags: aquaculture, salmon farming, Faroe Islands