• Along the coast of Norway — the longest after Canada's — hundreds of salmon farms can be found.
• Norwegian farms are distinguished by a low density of salmon in their pens, which must contain at least 97.5 per cent water and no more than 2.5 per cent fish.
• Investment in research and development towards ever more sustainable goals — such as zero fish escapes from farms — remains constant.

Proteins are essential nutritional elements that our bodies cannot do without: these macronutrients are involved in the composition of all tissues and blood and serve as a source of energy. The challenge that agri-food systems must face between now and the near future, however — particularly when it comes to animal proteins — is producing them in a way that is sustainable for the planet. And this applies to meat and its derivatives, but also to fish.

Today, animal protein production — especially intensive production — is generally associated with environmental problems and more besides. Farming operations can be responsible for land exploitation and deforestation for feed production, for emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, for water pollution, for practices that disregard animal welfare, and for the destruction of ecosystems with threats to biodiversity.

Protein producers: the sustainability rankings with Norwegian salmon in first place

To bridge the knowledge gap on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks associated with the food sector, every year the Coller FAIRR Index draws up a ranking of the 60 largest listed companies worldwide in the meat, dairy and aquaculture sectors according to ten parameters such as greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, antibiotic use, deforestation and working conditions. At the top of this index, year after year, are a number of Norwegian salmon producers. Together with the Norwegian Seafood Council, which promotes the culture of Norwegian seafood products under the origin label Seafood From Norway, we explored several aspects of salmon farming in Norway.

How salmon farms in Norway are working to improve their impact

The Norwegian coastline stretches for more than 100,000 kilometres, second in length only to Canada's. Salmon farms are located all along this perimeter, with various authorities regulating their licences (which are limited in number), their location and their density (there may be fewer than 750 farms across 28,953 kilometres of coastline).

Traditionally, salmon farming begins on land, in freshwater tanks where fertilisation and egg hatching take place. After around 16 months, once the salmon have reached a certain size, the fish are transferred to floating sea pens, thus replicating the journey that wild salmon would naturally make from freshwater lakes along rivers and out to sea.

In Norway, natural conditions are favourable for salmon production: "The most important biological factor is an optimal water temperature, between 8 and 14 degrees Celsius (°C), which allows the fish to feed well and grow slowly. If the water is warmer than 16°C, the salmon becomes stressed, eats less and experiences reduced growth," explains the Norwegian Seafood Council. The average size of a Norwegian salmon is 4–5 kilograms, reached over the course of approximately two years.

To ensure the welfare of the fish, salmon pens must be large enough to allow the animals to swim and behave as naturally as possible. Regulations stipulate that a pen (30 to 50 metres deep with a circumference of 200 metres) must contain at least 97.5 per cent water and no more than 2.5 per cent fish in order to guarantee the salmon good growing and living conditions.

Norwegian salmon are fed feed made up of a mix of plant-based and marine ingredients — fish and by-products from fish processing sourced from regulated fishing activities, along with rapeseed, sunflower, maize, wheat and soy from sustainable production. Because of the type of feed used in Norwegian farms, Norwegian salmon can be eaten raw without prior freezing, as there is no risk of the presence of the Anisakis parasite.

The use of vaccines has become widespread in Norwegian farms, making it possible to minimise the use of antibiotics. Fewer than 1 per cent of all salmon farmed in Norway are treated with antibiotics, which are administered only when necessary and on veterinary prescription. In any case, salmon intended for consumption is completely free of antibiotics.

Norwegian salmon farms are subject to strict regulation and rigorous controls that guarantee the quality and welfare of farmed salmon and the health of the surrounding environment. The pens must be inspected daily with regard to the possibility of infections and the integrity of the nets. "One of the main and most ambitious goals is to achieve zero salmon escapes in order to avoid consequences for wild salmon, such as the spread of parasites and threats to their ability to reproduce. The aim is to reach a point where escaped salmon have no negative effect on wild fish."

Training courses are organised on this issue every year, and the need to standardise and optimise a method for monitoring escaped fish has become clear. "Since 2006, the peak year for salmon escapes, statistics show a downward trend despite the increase in farmed salmon production," the Norwegian Seafood Council notes. Norwegian salmon farmers invest 14.5 million pounds annually (in addition to public investment) to fund research and development in the sector in terms of efficiency and sustainability.