Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss presented the White Paper The future of aquaculture - sustainable growth and food for the world, a framework for new aquaculture regulation.

“The Norwegian aquaculture industry has experienced tremendous development and growth, creating value and jobs along the coast. Aquaculture is today our second largest export industry, and it is important that Norwegian seafood has a good reputation. With this growth has also come challenges, particularly related to the environment and fish welfare. These challenges must be resolved quickly. We see that current regulations do not provide good enough incentives for sustainable operations. The government is therefore proposing a new management system that will make it more profitable to operate with low environmental impact and good animal welfare,” said Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss in a press conference.

The White Paper outlines the steps the government will take to ensure that the aquaculture industry can continue to generate value from the ocean and contribute to coastal communities across the country.

“The government wants to develop the aquaculture industry and facilitate the greatest possible overall value creation. To achieve that, we must modernize the aquaculture policy. The main approach in this White Paper is that we will primarily regulate how production affects the environment, fish health, and welfare—not how much is produced. This is also in line with the Aquaculture Committee’s report,” said Sivertsen Næss, in a press conference.

Regulating sea lice impact

A key objective for the government is to ensure that the impact of sea lice remains at an acceptable level. Adjusting the Maximum Allowed Biomass (MTB) at the company level is not an effective tool, the government said. Therefore, it proposes regulating sea lice impact through tradable quotas for sea lice emissions. These quotas will be based on what the local environment can actually tolerate. All salmonid producers will be subject to this quota system. Tradable quotas will offer flexibility for producers and ensure cost-effective emissions reductions within each area.

“We want sea lice emissions to carry a direct cost for farmers. This will make low environmental impact farming more profitable and result in more precise regulation of the industry,” said Sivertsen Næss.

Removing volume limits from aquaculture licenses

Current volume caps at the company level provide little incentive to develop or adopt environmentally friendly production methods. As such, they hinder value creation, innovation, and technological development in the aquaculture sector.

By introducing a more targeted regulation of sea lice impact, volume limits at the company level will no longer be necessary. Removing the volume limitation from aquaculture licenses means that producers can more freely choose how to adapt to the new lice regulations. Those who adopt effective measures will be able to increase their production.

Aquaculture will still require a permit. The aquaculture license will grant the right to operate within a specific geographic area but will no longer specify production volume or species. To ensure fair and efficient distribution of public resources, new permits under the Aquaculture Act will be allocated through auctions.

Fee on lost fish

Treatment for sea lice is one of the main causes of poor welfare and high mortality in farmed fish. To ensure that efforts to reduce sea lice emissions do not come at the expense of fish welfare, the government proposes introducing a fee on lost fish.

“We’ve seen over time that fish welfare in the aquaculture industry is not good enough. In the Animal Welfare Report, we set a goal of reducing mortality to around 5%. We’re now following up with a lost fish fee. We’ll start with a low fee and consider increasing it later. The goal is for welfare standards to improve so much that most producers avoid the fee,” said Sivertsen Næss.

In summary

The government’s proposals aim to make low-impact, high-welfare aquaculture more profitable. This means that producers will have a greater degree of influence over their own potential for growth. Reducing sea lice and improving fish welfare will also improve the industry’s public image, the government said. The proposed system is technology-neutral, allowing operators to use the solutions they find most suitable.

The White Paper presents a framework for new aquaculture regulation. It has now been submitted to the Norwegian Parliament. After Parliament has reviewed the document, proposed regulatory changes will go through the usual consultation process.

FACT BOX: Main proposals in the white paper

• Facilitate the greatest possible total value creation in aquaculture within sustainable boundaries.
• Regulate aquaculture activities based on actual environmental impact, while ensuring fair and efficient use of shared societal resources.
• Introduce a quota system for sea lice emissions, with tradable quotas set according to the local environment’s carrying capacity.
• All salmonid producers will be included in the quota system. Quotas will be specific to each regulatory area and cannot be traded or used across regions.
• A fee on sea lice emissions is also under consideration.
• Because of this more targeted lice regulation, there will no longer be a need for volume caps at the company level.
• Volume limits at site level will be handled under other relevant regulations. The volume limitation in aquaculture licenses will be removed when the new system is in place.
• Aquaculture will still require a license under the Aquaculture Act, tied to a specific geographical area, but without species or volume limits.
• Existing licenses will be converted to one license per site.
• Operators must still comply with all other applicable regulations and permit conditions.
• New licenses will be allocated via auction to ensure fair distribution of public resources.
• Coordinated processing of applications for site establishment and operation will continue under applicable regulations.
• The system is technology-neutral, enabling operators to choose the most appropriate solutions.
• To prevent efforts to reduce lice emissions from harming fish health and welfare, the government will introduce a lost fish fee, also helping incentivize escape prevention. The fee will start low and may increase over time.
• Access to suitable farming areas is essential. The government will provide a strong knowledge base for integrated marine spatial planning and develop national planning guidelines for coastal areas.