Atlantic salmon

Feed used in salmon aquaculture is traceable and requirements are in place for responsible ingredient sourcing, including the use of certified ingredients. However, salmon is a net consumer of fish protein.

The production of Faroese salmon relies on a variety of different feeds including specialist formulation. Historically, the most important ingredients in salmon feed have been fishmeal and fish oil, which provide an almost complete feed in a convenient and highly digestible product form. The primary fisheries supplying fishmeal and fish oil are found globally (Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, South Africa, Norway, Peru, USA) and have a range of species (Anchoveta, blue whiting, capelin, menhaden, Norway pout, sand eel, sprat). Due to a need to reduce costs and secure the supply, cheaper alternative ingredients (for example, soybean and rapeseed oil) have been progressively substituted in commercial feed formulas. In the Faroe Islands, novel feed ingredients are also being used, such as insect meals and algal oils.

The main feed producer in the Faroe Islands is Havsbrún (Bakkafrost) which provides 75% of feed used. The other 25% is provided by Skretting and MOWI. All companies have policies in place to ensure that the protein and oil components of all feed used in the Faroe Islands is traceable and responsibly sourced and this can be independently verified (MarinTrust). The dependency of wild caught fish used in fish meal and fish oil (known as the Feed Fish Dependency Ratio) for this species currently indicates that more fish protein is required in the diet than these fish produce, making them a net consumer of fish rather than a fish producer. Soy used is certified by Pro Terra and no palm oil is used by Havsbraún.

Salmon farming in marine open net pens can have a negative environmental impact. However, in the Faroe Islands, most environmental impacts are well managed and have limited impact on the wider marine environment.

Habitat alteration is small scale through the use of mooring grids only and does not impact ecosystem functionality. All juveniles used in salmon aquaculture in the Faroe Islands are hatchery based and lumpfish used as cleaner fish are farmed.

Salmon farms in the Faroe Islands rely on chemical usage. Many different chemicals are used with varying impacts on the environment. Antibiotics are not used in the Faroe Islands, and while there also appears to be a decrease in the use of sea lice pesticides, there are no clear regulations in place for the use of chemicals. Discharges of waste from salmon farms also have a measurable negative effect but this is within regulation boundaries and state requirements on waste management are rigorous.

Disease is not thought to be a problem in Faroese salmon aquaculture, however, there is a problem with salmon parasites and in particular, the salmon sea louse (Lepophtheirus salmonis). Sea lice monitoring and control is conducted but regulations do not take into account the impact of sea lice on wild salmonids. Surveillance programmes have shown that levels of sea lice on wild salmonids are greater in areas with a high abundance of open net pens. The overall consequences of increased sea lice levels on wild populations are unclear and quantifying wild salmon mortality due to sea lice infections is complex, and the magnitude of lice can also depend on environmental, biological and ecological variables.

There is a risk of escapes of farmed salmon with evidence of ecological effects. Open net pens used in salmon farming are vulnerable to escapes and large numbers have escaped in the last 10 years. At the beginning of 2020, an escape event caused by a storm lead to a loss of around 1 million salmon. Escaped farmed salmon can alter the natural environment by indirectly affecting aspects of the wild population behaviour, predators and disease interaction. From January 2021, the intentional killing of marine mammals is prohibited.

There are practices in place to ensure animal welfare and humane slaughter.

In the Faroe Islands, there is legislation in place covering animal welfare. Strict veterinary aquaculture legislation in the Faroe Islands was implemented in 2003 and has been effective in protecting farmed salmon from disease. It is also required by law that water quality measurements have to be taken on a regular basis and the density of salmon in pens is limited to make sure the salmon have ample room to swim.

Humane slaughter methods are in place.

Management of salmon farming in the Faroe Islands is good and farms are third party certified.

In the Faroe Islands, there are management zones in place for salmon aquaculture, however, these are not thought to be part of comprehensive marine spatial plans.

In Faroese salmon aquaculture, there is an environmental approval process in place, however, this is not the same as a robust farm level Environmental Impact Assessment and lacks a public consultation process. However, there are regulations in place covering the identification and protection of valuable habitats and species, use of land and water resources, use of chemicals, discharges, bio security and species introduction.

These regulations are only partially effective. For example, despite there being measures to address bio security, open net pens used in salmon aquaculture are still experiencing large scale escape events. There is also little information available on the regulation of sea lice treatment and the susceptibility of sea lice to adapt and become resistant to different treatment methods suggests that their use has been poorly regulated.