Will drug farmed salmon - NRK

class=”publish-date” title=”05.08.2013, Cl. 18.59.”> Published 08/05/2013, at. 18.59. Updated 05/08/2013, at. 19.25.

Many salmon die as a result of stress when they moved out to sea. Fewer fish will die from stress in aquaculture if they get tranquilizers, writes forskning.no.

– The risk that the salmon die when they are put into cages can be quite large. In some cases die between ten and fifteen percent due to stress, says Martin Iversen, Senior Scientist at University of Nordland.

Much Money

There is a lot of money lost in that regard.

– We have worked with a particular company since 2009, when we reduced the mortality significantly. In that period, we estimate that 700,000 fewer fish died during transfer. This corresponds to approximately 30-40 million, so there are large sums are involved, says the researcher.

If this method is in general use in industry, this sum could be multiplied.

– A less stressful sorting process and the use of sedative, could mean billions for the entire industry, says Iversen.

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Tough Process

salmon begin their lives in freshwater but transferred to cages in saline. This is a tough process, and stress is one of the reasons so many salmon die. Researchers are working to save as many salmon as possible from a premature death.

– We have been working on ways to reduce the number of salmon that die during transport and emissions in cages. One thing we have seen is to stun fish before transport, he said.

One way that seems promising researcher is using a substance derived from clove oil.

– We have worked with a type of anesthesia that comes from the oil carnation plant. It contains the substance eugenol, which is the stress hormone cortisol in control. The fish will simply be less stressed and that way we get down mortality , says Iversen.

fish will be in the water column, but the anesthesia will make sure that the fish do not get me everything that happens around it if discharged into the sea.

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not worried about side effects

eugenol can cause liver damage if they ingest large amounts. The researcher is not concerned that it will happen.

– The law requires that it shall be 21 days from we use eugenol to salmon harvested, so the fabric will come out of the fish. In experiments, we have seen that substance is in fact out of fish after 24 hours, says Iversen.

matter will go much longer for the fish to be harvested.

– This will happen when the fish weighing from 50 and up to maybe 200 grams. The fish will be up in five kg before slaughter, this takes about two years, he said.

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anesthesia already

to stun fish is something you already do.

– When the salmon should be vaccinated, it is necessary to stun it. It happens the same way with people before an operation: Humans breathe like the anesthesia, and when it comes to salmon we release it into the water so they get it in the same way as us, says the researcher.

Also in this regard is made to prevent damage to the fish.

– When the fish get the vaccine, we spray on each fish. This is done either manually or by machine, but in either case it is necessary that the fish moves. Otherwise, the syringe being set incorrectly, and take the bodies should not, says Iversen.