The Norwegian Veterinary Institute’s report for 2017 shows an industry-wide loss of 52 million salmon and 3.2 million rainbow trout. Salmon alone represents a loss worth an extraordinary NOK 13 billions. To a large degree, the high death rate is due to sickness and mechanical lice treatment.
“Considerable savings could be made by prioritising the food more,” states Kjell G. Lund from BioFeed, which supplies additives for fish feed that increase natural slime production in fish.
“A number of trials show that an improved slime coat reduces lice infestations and improves harvest quality.
In the two field trials we have conducted where the fish have gone through the entire production cycle without being touched, it has been proved that using the high-quality feed supplement BioFeed can produce these results,” says Lund.
Lice treatment harms fish and finances
BioFeed has calculated that lice treatment can amount to an additional cost of around NOK 11 per kilogram of fish. At the same time, repeated treatments lead to a decrease in the quality of the fish, which results in a decrease in the overall economy.
“The aquaculture industry can earn a lot of money by thinking about prevention as an important factor in the overall economy instead of hunting for the cheapest standard feed,” says Lund.
Fish farmers can calculate the cost themselves
Biofeed har utviklet sin egen kalkulator som heter «BioFeed-Kalkulatoren», hvor oppdretteren selv kan beregne besparelser ved bruk av BioFeed. – BioFeed-Kalkulatoren vil nok overraske mange, hevder Lund, som håper den kan føre til en økt bevissthet om fôr og fiskevelferd.