New fish health report highlights innovation opportunities across the aquaculture value chain

Fiskehelserapporten 2025 (The Fish Health Report 2025) provides a comprehensive overview of the biological and operational challenges facing farmed salmon production in Norway. While some indicators are improving, mortality and fish welfare remain major concerns across the sector. You can download the full report here.

For companies delivering technology, services and expertise to aquaculture producers, the findings underline a growing demand for solutions that improve fish health, reduce mortality and strengthen operational control.

Demand for new solutions

Injuries linked to delousing treatments, complex gill disease and winter ulcers continue to rank among the most important health problems for salmon in the sea phase, making fish health remain one of the most critical issues for Norwegian salmon farming. 

Even though the annual mortality rate for farmed salmon in the sea phase is estimated to have fallen slightly to around 14.2 percent in 2025, the industry is still far from the ambitions to significantly reduce losses, as the overall mortality remains higher than the national goals.  

These challenges are driving increased focus on technology, monitoring and preventive measures throughout the value chain.

Lice remains a challenge for the aquaculture industry and must be solved to secure further growth. Photo: Lars Asplin/Havforskningsinstituttet. 

Key opportunities for suppliers

The report highlights several areas where innovation and specialized services are becoming increasingly important:

Health monitoring and data analytics: The industry is placing greater emphasis on real-time monitoring of fish welfare indicators such as behaviour, appetite, oxygen levels and mortality. Advanced sensors, machine vision systems and data platforms can help farmers detect problems earlier and respond faster.

Biosecurity and disease prevention: With infectious diseases and stress-related conditions continuing to impact production, there is strong demand for improved biosecurity systems, vaccination technologies and health management services.

Non-invasive treatment and welfare technology: Traditional delousing methods can cause injuries and stress to fish. This creates a market for new treatment technologies, gentler handling systems and alternative parasite control solutions.

Environmental monitoring and site management: Environmental conditions such as temperature, oxygen and algal blooms play an important role in fish health. Technology that provides better monitoring and predictive capabilities is increasingly valuable for producers.

Digital decision-support tools: As regulation and documentation requirements increase, farms need digital systems that integrate health data, operational performance and regulatory reporting.

Photo: MOWI.

Vestland at the centre of innovation

Western Norway remains the core region for Norwegian salmon farming and aquaculture technology development. This is supported by the report, where data confirms that mortality levels in the region have moved closer to national averages. This is a result of several improvements in operations and management. 

At the same time, the continued focus on fish health is accelerating demand for new solutions. This creates opportunities for technology developers, service providers and research-driven companies.

For the growing aquaculture innovation ecosystem in Vestland, the message from the latest fish health report is clear: Improving fish welfare is not only an environmental and regulatory priority, but also a major driver of technological development across the industry.

Do you have solutions that can support the industry? Don’t hesitate to reach out; we can connect you!