New Research Shows Farmed Salmon Need to Be In Shape

New research shows that Norwegian salmon farmers could save money by exercising their fish.

Due to escape, disease, handling-related injuries and other issues, only 80-85 percent of salmon transferred to sea cages in Norway survive to reach slaughter size.

“There are many reasons for poor smolt quality, but most are related to intensive production methods,” says Senior Scientist Harald Takle of the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research.

Dr. Takle and his research team tested a variety of exercise regimes on salmon, begining as juveniles.  They found that the right amount of exercise, without overexertion, can significantly increase the percentage of fish that reach full size at sea.

You can read more from The Research Council of Norway here:

• It pays to keep salmon fit

You can learn more about salmon farming here:

• Farming the Seas: Salmon Aquaculture
• The Fish Hatchery Solution Leads to More Problems

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Photo credit: Hans-Petter Fjeld (CC-BY-SA).

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