Mortality in farmed salmon in Norway decreased in 2024, with 15.4% of salmon dying in the sea phase, down from 16.7% in 2023. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries reported that 57.8 million farmed salmon were lost in the sea phase in 2024, a decrease from 62.8 million the previous year.
Ingunn Sommerset, Director of Animal Health and Welfare at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, noted that while the decline in mortality is promising, it is too early to determine whether this marks the start of a new trend. She highlighted that many farmers are adopting strategies to reduce mortality.
The highest mortality rate in 2024 was seen in the Nordmøre and Sør-Trøndelag areas, with a 22.4% rate, up from 16.3% in 2023. Other regions, such as Ryfylke and Karmøy to Sotra, saw significant improvements, with a drop from 22.4% in 2023 to 12.2% in 2024 in Ryfylke, and from 25.7% to 17.5% in Karmøy to Sotra.
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute calculates annual mortality using a monthly average that accounts for variations in the number of fish in the cages, providing an accurate picture of fish health and welfare throughout the year.
The Fish Health Report, which will discuss factors influencing mortality and fish welfare, will be presented at the FriskFisk conference in Tromsø on 11 March.
