Marine cage farm stocked two million Atlantic salmons

The live cargo was imported from Norway, its transportation was carried out in compliance with special requirements, as the average weight of one juvenile amounted only 53 grams. Veterinary specialists of Murmansk region checked the cargo and concluded that the fish was active, fed well, its colour, exterior and reaction on external irritants were adequate. The cargo was accompanied with veterinary certificates proving its passing of virological tests. No violations of veterinary legislation while the smalt was transported and landed were disclosed.

According to the current legislative requirements, on 3 June 2011 the marine cage farm was given the quarantine status for the period of one year. During those 12 months Russian salmon is going to conduct veterinary-sanitary and preventive measures. Under the normative standard acts imported fish (in this case Atlantic salmon fry) should be tested for strongly dangerous diseases at least four times a year. The most dangerous parasitic and infectious diseases for Atlantic salmon are virus hemorrhagic septicemia, yersiniosis, infectious necrosis of hemopoietic tissue and pancreas and infectious anemia.

Quarantine procedure is necessary in order to avoid emergence of epizooties among marine fish populations as artificial culture of Atlantic salmon is carried out in cages placed directly in the Barents Sea. Besides, parasitic and infectious diseases of fish stocks strongly diminish production output and do big economic damage on fish farms themselves. Therefore it is impossible to grow farmed fish to market size and provide for efficient development of fish farming without a number of veterinary-sanitary and preventive measures.