Several salmon farmers in Northern Norway have far more salmon lice than permitted. At certain facilities, it's more than eight times the legal limit.
In the north, we've never seen such high amounts of lice as this year, says researcher Anne Dagrun Sandvik at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (HI) to Dagens Næringsliv.
The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research's figures date back to 2012.
44 farming sites exceeded the limit on Wednesday, according to figures from the state-owned Barents watch. The limit has been set to restrict the spread to wild salmon.
The main reason for the drastic increase is likely the high sea temperature, which causes the salmon lice to reproduce faster. The industry organization Sjømat Norge writes in a press release on Wednesday that the situation is extraordinary.
"The summer temperatures are 4-5 degrees above normal. It has created an extraordinary situation that we are very concerned about," says CEO Geir Ove Ystmark.
