ISA fear forces early harvest
Bakkafrost has decided to harvest 190,000 salmon prematurely, due to fears over ISA at one of their sites.
The farming site A-73 Hvannasund Norður has been under increased surveillance since July 2016, when the virus was first suspected, and tests taken by the Faroese Veterinary Authority in January again resulted in suspicion of pathogenic ISA virus.
The site has 1.2 million fish, averaging 2.8kg, and the virus is suspected to be present in two cages. In order to minimise the risk posed by the potential presence of the virus, Bakkafrost has harvested all fish in the first cage (approx. 100,000 fish) and will also harvest the next cage (approx. 90,000 fish) immediately, leaving a million fish at the site.
Preliminary estimates suggest that harvest volumes for 2017 will be reduced by 600 tonnes due to the premature harvest of the two cages and that the harvest volumes for 2017 may be reduced by another 2,400 tonnes gutted weight, should the harvest of the remaining biomass at the site be accelerated.
In the meantime the site will continue to be under increased surveillance, and the producer says that further notice will be given when the final results from the tests are available.
