Young families love having salmon for dinner. But how can they know the fish they’re eating has lived a good life — from fjord to fork?
Read more about how Lerøy prioritizes fish health to improve the living conditions for the fish here, and find answers to frequently asked questions about fish welfare and fish health on this page.
Find answers to frequently asked questions about our work, with a focus on aquaculture, covering topics such as fish welfare and fish health, technology, and food safety.
Fish welfare is at the heart of everything we do. Everything we do should contribute to the fish having the best possible life.
Every day, Lerøy works to ensure good fish health and welfare in all aspects of our business. This involves daily monitoring of the fish in the facilities, monthly inspections by authorized fish health personnel, and the use of technology such as surveillance cameras and sensors to identify early signs of stress or disease.
Lerøy follows strict guidelines and legislation to safeguard the health and welfare of the fish. We work according to three pillars:
Here you can read more in detail how Lerøy works with fish welfare:
At Lerøy, good fish welfare is a fundamental pillar of our operations. We work systematically throughout the entire life cycle to ensure that the fish are well and live in optimal conditions. Lerøy continues to develop and implement solutions that strengthen fish welfare and sustainability throughout the value chain.
By implementing operational improvements in genetics, roe, smolt and food fish production, we expect to achieve even better fish health and robustness. The introduction of shielding technology in the sea with submersible and semi-enclosed cages has already contributed to significant improvements in fish welfare and increased survival.
Results so far show a strong biological performance in 2024, with a marked reduction in the number of lice treatments thanks to the shielding technology. Lerøy accounts for a significant share of increased survival in the industry in 2024, and the main reason for this is investments in shielding technology, as well as improvements in smolt quality.
When salmon are eating well, growing normally and displaying natural behaviour, it is an indication that they are in an environment that promotes good health and welfare. These are important factors in assessing fish welfare, both for salmon and other animals.
Our animal health staff closely monitor the fish throughout their entire life cycle to ensure they are doing well. Through regular health visits and thorough examinations, we can quickly detect and address any challenges, so that the fish have the best growing conditions.
We also use advanced technology and data collection for better insight and decision-making. Our offshore facilities are equipped with smart monitoring systems that continuously monitor the welfare of the fish.
There are requirements that the volume of a cage should not be more than 2.5% fish and that it is therefore 97.5% water. Lerøy is well within these requirements. The fish therefore have plenty of space, but they can choose to move closer in the cage and swim in shoals.
The fish are monitored daily by facility personnel and monthly by authorized fish health personnel. Over 20 veterinarians work in Lerøy. In the event of illness, immediate measures are taken depending on the type of disease, and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is notified.
For certain diseases, routine tests are taken to ensure that all cases are detected early and that immediate measures are taken to handle the situation and prevent further spread.
We work with disease management according to the principle of prevention. Preventing problems before they arise is the primary goal. We have a specific vaccination program and vaccinate 100% of our fish before release into the sea.
Shielding technology is an important measure for us in Lerøy
Shielding technology gives us greater control over the environment around the salmon and reduces the need for treatments. By lowering the salmon deeper into the water/shielding it from the upper water masses (where the lice thrives), we can reduce lice pressure, which improves fish welfare and increases sustainability. We strongly believe that this will be an important part of future aquaculture, in addition to conventional cages.
The technology shows very good results so far with a significant reduction in the number of lice treatments. We also see improved fish welfare and higher survival.
During 2025, 50% of all salmon in Western Norway and Central Norway will be in such cages.
From autumn 2023 (last 1.5 years), the number of treatments of fish in shielded technology has been reduced by 85% compared to facilities without shielding.
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The ocean is Norway’s hidden food reserve. Our official self-sufficiency rate is only 35 percent, according to NIBO. But this figure does not include seafood. In fact, the seafood we produce and harvest can cover up to 60 percent of the population’s daily energy needs.
When we freeze fish, we lock in both nutrition and quality. This means we can produce first-class seafood all year round – not just in season.
This is extremely important for Norway’s self-sufficiency. In this way, we always have both whitefish, as well as salmon and trout from aquaculture, available at any time.
Because we catch, produce, process, and package the fish here in Norway before it reaches the store in the Norwegian market, we generate significant local ripple effects. Lerøy sells so much seafood that every Norwegian could enjoy one seafood meal from us every day of the year.
Fallowing is the fjord’s breathing pause, when the site is left empty. Nature is given time to recover while bacteria and small organisms consume organic material.
This is necessary to ensure sustainable aquaculture.
The seabed is monitored by an independent third party. Fifteen years of environmental surveys show stable and healthy conditions beneath the fish farms. Independent inspectors take seabed samples before and after fallowing.
Read more about seabed condition in our Sustainability library
Kelp is part of the solution to challenges related to organic material from the fish. Lerøy runs Ocean Forest in collaboration with the environmental foundation Bellona, where they cultivate, among other things, sugar kelp. It grows by absorbing nitrogen and phosphorus from the water, and it uses CO2. These are the same substances released from aquaculture. But for kelp, this is food.
Read more about Ocean Forest in our Sustainability library
Food safety is Lerøy’s highest priority, and our goal is to deliver seafood of the highest quality. We therefore have a comprehensive quality management system that covers the entire value chain, from roe to finished product.
To ensure this, we have, among other things:
Each municipality prepares a municipal area plan that covers both land and sea areas. The process begins with mapping existing activities, natural values, outdoor recreation, fisheries interests, and other relevant considerations in the coastal zone.
The municipality gathers information from professional institutions, public authorities, and local residents to ensure a solid knowledge base. Based on this, a proposal for area allocation is developed, identifying zones suitable for different purposes – including aquaculture – while safeguarding biodiversity and other interests. The proposal is then made available for public consultation, allowing residents, businesses, and authorities to provide feedback. After the consultation period, the plan is revised based on received comments before being formally adopted by the municipal council.
The plan thus sets the framework for where aquaculture can be established and ensures balanced and sustainable management of marine areas. By incorporating both expert assessments and local participation, the municipal plan becomes an
important tool for guiding aquaculture development in a way that takes environmental, economic, and social considerations into account.
When a company applies to establish an aquaculture site within an area designated for aquaculture in the municipal plan, a thorough assessment of the site’s suitability must be carried out – covering both environmental and technical aspects. The company must prepare an application that includes, among other things, environmental impact assessments and evaluations of potential effects on nature and the surrounding area.
The municipality processes the application in accordance with the Planning and Building Act, ensuring that the project aligns with current zoning plans and local regulations. The County Governor (Statsforvalteren) assesses biodiversity and potential pollution, while the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) evaluates fish health and food safety.
In this way, the establishment of aquaculture sites is ensured to take place responsibly and sustainably, in line with both national and local regulatory requirements.
Through allocations from the Aquaculture Fund (Havbruksfondet), municipalities receive financial contributions based on the area and number of aquaculture sites within their jurisdiction. Lerøy is very positive about being able to contribute to local value creation in this way in the municipalities where we operate.
Lerøy cleans 90 per cent of nutrient discharges from our onshore facilities and supplies them as raw material for biofuels and soil improvement.
At all aquaculture sites in the sea, thorough environmental monitoring is carried out to ensure that the area does not have unacceptable impacts from the input of organic material. Samples are taken of the seabed below and in the area of each facility. The samples are taken by a legally required third party according to a Norwegian standard, and the results are available to everyone. You can find
reports with results at all locations in Norway on the Directorate of Fisheries' map pages.
Lerøy has good locations where the samples show no or little impact on almost all of our locations. A few sites have an elevated impact, and measures are being implemented such as longer fallowing, release of fewer fish and/or collection. The Institute of Marine Research publishes an annual report on risk in Norwegian aquaculture. The report from 2025 states: "Good dispersion and dilution of
dissolved nutrients from aquaculture means that the risk is considered low for eutrophication of coastal waters due to discharges of nutrients from fish farming in all 13 production areas"
We will continue to develop this page with frequently asked questions and answers about our business. Didn't find the answer to your question? Please send us your question using the form via this link - we look forward to hearing from you!
