quality of juveniles was not good enough. If you compare the quality now with the quality then, it has improved immensely over the last few years. Growth rates are better, mortalities are lower, size vari- ation has been reduced and deformities have almost been eliminated. ‘So I think the prospects for cod farm- ing are now very good. If you consider that the current salmon farming stocks are F8 and they have growth rates around twice as good as the original, there’s no reason why we can’t achieve the same growth rate improvements for cod.’


Mortensen says he forsees the Nor- wegian cod farming sector coming alive again. However, he acknowledges that it will be difficult to attract the large fish farming companies back into cod after they ‘burnt their fingers’ the first time round.


He added: ‘We know a lot more now about the factors that affect success. For example, I would not start a cod farm in south or west Norway; it should be north of the central area, because of disease problems in warmer waters.


‘We also know that farmed cod does not need to compete directly with wild, as there is a shortfall in wild cod supply in the later part of the year. So, if you can target production to fit into that market,


PRODUCTION STATISTICS FOR FARMED COD IN NORWAY Year


2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010


Production (tonnes)


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


3,165 7,409 11,087 11,104 18,052 20,924 21,240 17


Juvenile quality has improved immensely


Fish Farmer September/October 2011


you will get better prices,’ he concluded. These are compelling arguments and, given all the ups and downs of the aqua- culture industry over the years, perhaps it is too early to write off the European cod farming industry. Better performing cod targeted at the right market could well come through as a major part of the industry and, if it does, we will have to thank the persistence of the researchers at Norway’s Cod Breeding Centre.


Opposite page: the sea site at Røsneshamn and fry rearing tanks at Kraknes This page: staff at the centre explain how the feeding systems operate


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