Cumulative mortality of Norwegian farmed salmon in sea phase falls to 8.7%, with marked improvement in two production areas in Northern Norway

Data released by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (Veterinærinstituttet) on November 11 show that the cumulative mortality (also called mortality risk) of Norwegian farmed salmon in the sea phase (seawater farming phase) in the first three quarters of this year was 8.7%, down from 10.7% in the same period last year. The full-year mortality rate for 2025 ultimately stood at 14.2%.

Total farmed salmon losses in the first three quarters of this year were 35.8 million fish, of which 30.4 million were dead fish, 1.6 million were discards (utkast), and another 3.8 million were reported as losses under the "other" category.

By production area, the improvement in two production areas in Northern Norway was particularly notable. Cumulative mortality in PO9 (Vestfjorden to Vesterålen) fell from 14.4% in the same period last year to 5.9%; PO11 (Kvaløya to Loppa) fell from 10.3% to 3.8%.

Apart from PO1 and PO2 (Swedish border to Jæren and Ryfylke), mortality figures in the remaining production areas generally declined or changed little compared with the same period last year. PO1 and PO2 were affected by an algal bloom in the first quarter of this year, keeping mortality at a high level, with cumulative mortality rising from 12.2% in the same period last year to 20.2%.

Cumulative mortality (%) by production area from January to September is as follows: PO1 and PO2 (Swedish border to Jæren and Ryfylke): 12.2 in 2025, 20.2 in 2026; PO3 (Karmøy to Sotra): 11.2, 10.7; PO4 (Nordhordaland to Stadt): 13.7, 13.5; PO5 (Stadt to Hustadvika): 12.5, 9.7; PO6 (Nordmøre and Sør-Trøndelag): 10.9, 8.0; PO7 (Nord-Trøndelag including Bindal): 8.2, 8.2; PO8 (Helgeland to Bodø): 7.2, 6.7; PO9 (Vestfjorden to Vesterålen): 14.5, 5.9; PO10 (Andøya to Senja): 9.1, 5.1; PO11 (Kvaløya to Loppa): 10.3, 3.8; PO12 and PO13 (Vest-Finnmark and Øst-Finnmark): 7.8, 4.9.

The above figures represent the average mortality risk of farming sites within each production area. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute explained that the calculations are based on the numbers of dead and live fish reported monthly by farmers to the authorities; due to supplementary reporting, the data basis for 2026 may be subject to minor adjustments.