Millions of Salmon in Norway Killed by Algae Bloom
Excerpt from this New York Times story:
About eight million farmed salmon have suffocated in northern Norway over the past week as a result of persistent algae bloom, an industry body estimated on Thursday, a blight that some experts suggest has been aggravated by climate change.
Norway is a dominant producer of farmed salmon, and the economic impact of the bloom is significant.
Astatement from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries estimated the amount of salmon lost at 11,600 metric tons, worth about 720 million kroner, or more than $82 million. An industry group, the Norwegian Seafood Council, suggested the total could be much higher.
“Preliminary numbers point to eight million dead fish — corresponding to 40,000 metric tons of salmon that won’t reach markets,” Dag Sorli, a spokesman for the council, said in an email on Thursday. He put the value of the losses at 2.2 billion kroner.
Marine algae, microscopic plant-like organisms that are a form of phytoplankton, are usually not noticeable in normal concentrations. But under certain circumstances — when currents slow and water warms, for example — the population of algae can explode. Some algae blooms are visible from space.
Though the algae bloom is a natural event, Mr. Balteskard said, it is rare for it to be as concentrated and as lethal as it is this year.
Peter Jones, a reader in environmental governance at University College London, said, “The blooms are being exacerbated.” He noted that an algae bloom had hit salmon farming in Scotland last month.
Mr. Jones, from University College London, said that it would be unwise to say with certainty that climate change had played a role in the outbreak, but that there was a significant probability.
“The mortalities were mostly in northern Norway, so you’re heading towards the Arctic Circle,” he said. “And we know that seas are warming particularly rapidly in the Arctic.”