Norway's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries has introduced changes to the country's aquaculture regulations for cod farming in a bid to create a more “sustainable" industry. The new rules are designed to reduce the risk of farmed cod spawning in their cages.
Effective immediately, cod farmers will now be required to regularly evaluate the degree of sexual maturation in their fish, carry out risk assessments for spawning, and have a contingency plan for culling if spawning is imminent.
The new regulations replace the previous practice of making individual decisions for each farm and are intended to ensure equal treatment of operators and more efficient management.
The government stated the changes are necessary because spawning in cages can lead to genetic influence from farmed cod on wild cod stocks.
It added that the Directorate of Fisheries has closely monitored the cod farming industry for the past three years, and the new rules are based on a method for the visual assessment of sexual maturation developed by the Institute of Marine Research.
"We want a sustainable cod farming industry. The changes that we have now put in place will reduce the risk of spawning in cages and ensure more sustainable development," said Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans, Marianne Sivertsen Næss.