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Source at https://vkm.no/ At request from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA), VKM has identified food groups and food items consumed by the Norwegian population that are relevant for monitoring regarding content of one or more undesirable chemical substances (Figure 1). Undesirable chemical substances were defined as chemical substances in food that may constitute a potential health risk. VKM has created a knowledge base (an Excel file) as a tool for planning and prioritising monitoring of foods and undesirable chemical substances. The substance groups included in the knowledge base are flavourings, food additives, metals and metalloids, natural toxins, persistent organic pollutants, process-induced contaminants, substances in food contact materials, substances in food supplements, and trace elements. More than 40 different substances were included.

Source at https://vkm.no/

At request from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA), VKM has identified food groups and food items consumed by the Norwegian population that are relevant for monitoring regarding content of one or more undesirable chemical substances (Figure 1). Undesirable chemical substances were defined as chemical substances in food that may constitute a potential health risk. Paid open access

Havforskningsinstituttet (HI) og Veterinærinstituttet (VI) fikk en felles bestilling av Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet om å analysere effektene av ulike scenarioer for en ny lokalitetsstruktur i produksjonsområde 3 som kan gi mindre spredning av lakselus, ILA og PD mellom lokalitetene. Det er antatt at mindre smitte mellom lokalitetene vil gjøre det lettere å drive oppdrett av laks, med lave luseverdier, bedre fiskehelse og fiskevelferd, og dermed øke bærekraften. Ved hjelp av biofysisk modellering og nettverksanalyse av spredning av lakselus, PD og ILA mellom lokaliteter er det anslått at flytting av produksjon fra særlig smittespredende lokaliteter til mindre smittespredende lokaliteter, kan redusere den totale smitten mellom lokalitetene. Analysene viser at ved å fjerne tilfeldige lokaliteter hvor man flytter biomassen til de resterende lokalitetene vil redusere smittepresset, men ikke like effektivt som ved en strategisk flytting av biomasse fra de “verste” til de beste lokalitetene med tanke på smittespredning. I et av scenariene som er testet med Havforskningsinstituttet sine modeller er det indikert at smitten mellom lokalitetene kan reduseres med 46% for lakselus og 30% for virus, ved å redusere fra dagens 135 lokaliteter ned til 100 matfisklokaliteter – dette uten å redusere den totale produksjonen i produksjonsområdet. På tilsvarende måte indikerer Veterinærinstituttet sin lusemodell at en ved tilfeldig fjerning av halvparten av alle lokaliteter og refordeling av biomassen til andre lokaliteter i PO3 vil få rundt regnet ca. 20% færre voksne hunnlus, 20% færre andre mobile lus, og 20% færre behandlinger i hele området. Denne effekten blir større, dersom de lokalitetene som lukkes er strategisk valgt, dvs. at de er valgt på bakgrunn av hvor mye de bidrar til spredning av lus basert på HI sin nettverksmodell. Det synes dermed å være et stort potensial for å redusere smitten mellom lokaliteter ved å redusere antall lokaliteter i PO3 og samtidig opprettholde produksjonen. Imidlertid er det behov for mer omfattende analyser og utredning av ny lokalitetsstruktur, der en tar hensyn til en rekke andre faktorer som bl.a. om lokalitetene tåler økt biomasse med tanke på organisk belastning, selskapsstruktur, muligheter for sonevise utsett, samt påvirkning på vill laksefisk før en kan anbefale konkret ny lokalitetsstruktur i PO3.

The request from NFSA and NEA: Antimicrobial agents and microorganisms are introduced to sewage systems by different human activities, from private homes, institutions such as schools and hospitals, office buildings, industrial and commercial activities, i.e., from everywhere where people work and live. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA) asked the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø, VKM) for an extension of the 2009 VKM report “Risk assessment of contaminants in sewage sludge applied on Norwegian soils” regarding the impact of wastewater (WW)- and sewage sludge treatment methods used in Norway, on the fate and survival of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, fate of antimicrobial resistance genes, and main drivers for resistance (e.g. antibiotics, antifungal agents, heavy metals, disinfectants). The request addressed by VKM: VKM appointed a working group, consisting of three members of the Panel on Microbial Ecology, four external members and VKM staff to prepare a draft Opinion document. The Panel on Microbial Ecology has reviewed and revised the draft prepared by the working group and approved the Opinion document “Assessment of the impact of wastewater and sewage sludge treatment methods on antimicrobial resistance”. The antimicrobial resistance cycle: Exposure to antimicrobial agents is regarded as the most important driver for development and dissemination of AMR in microorganisms. Consequently, an important location for the development of AMR is the gut of humans or animals receiving antimicrobial drug therapy. As ARB, ARG, resistance genes and antimicrobial agents will end up in the WW system, this system could be regarded as a potential hot spot for interactions between different microorganisms, between different antimicrobial agents, and between microorganisms and antimicrobial agents. Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies are regarded as being an important source for antimicrobial drug residues released in WW. At the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), bacteria and genes end up either in the effluent wastewater fraction or in the sludge fraction. When ARB and ARG are distributed with the WW sludge, they may reach arable land when the sludge is used as soil improver and fertilising product, and thus be recycled into the food-production chain. When following the effluent WW fraction, ARB and ARB will be released into WW recipients, such as lakes, rivers or fjords, and may, from these environments, also be recycled into food production. In each step of these cycles, ARB and ARG will be introduced into new environmental compartments to which they must adapt, and to microbial communities with which they must compete for survival and growth. Depending on the bacterial species, these new environmental compartments will be more or less hostile, but they will also provide opportunities for microbial interactions, like dissemination of ARG due to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) within and between bacterial species. Findings: It is challenging to deliver a general assessment of the nature of as well as the probability for direct discharge of ARB and ARG into effluent WW and applied sludge. This is due to the combined complexity of resistance carriers, traits, various sources of variation, and the WW systems. Moreover, there is currently a lack of harmonized methods and protocols to compare studies from different systems. However, there are no strong indications that there is a significant enrichment of ARB in WWTP operated under European conditions, which, on a general level, also applies to the Norwegian situation. Although some studies indicate a slight increase in the fraction of ARB, the absolute reduction in bacterial load during WW treatment (WWT) is significant; removal of between 99 % to 99.9 % of faecal indicator bacteria is generally achieved by secondary treatment, including biological and physico chemical treatment steps. Effluent WW is often released into water recipients, and there are many mechanisms (physical, mechanical, and chemical) that will limit the extent that ARB of faecal origin are transferred to the food-production chain. However, there are different views on the significance of this release for the development of AMR. Results from single studies indicate that WWTP effluents contribute little to the total AMR exposure of micro – and macro organisms in aquatic and marine environments. On the other hand, freshwater environments in general are regarded as an important reservoir of novel antibiotic resistance determinants, and in some areas, relative abundance of resistance determinants in effluents has been observed to be considerably higher than in pristine natural water sources. Some imprint of AMR in recipient waters, compared to pristine waters, is unavoidable. During WWT, bacteria largely adhere to particles that are aggregated and precipitated to form a solid sludge. The mandatory hygienisation of sludge kills a large proportion of these bacteria, notably all thermosensitive faecal bacteria. However, the resulting hygienised sludge is still rich in bacteria, some of which are carriers of ARGs. The current Norwegian regulations on use of sludge on soil contribute to prevent contamination of food with antimicrobial resistant bacteria and antimicrobial resistance genes from sludge. Yet, soils do contain a pool of both natural and sludge-derived antimicrobial resistance. The contribution of sludge to this antimicrobial resistance pool is probably temporally limited to a period after soil amendment with sludge. A recent, comprehensive study from Sweden showed that long-term application of sewage sludge on farmland only resulted in minor changes of soil bacterial community composition. No evidence could be found for enrichment of antimicrobial resistant bacteria or antimicrobial resistance genes in soil amended with digested and stored sewage. Hospital WW contains more ARB, ARG, and antibiotic residues than municipal sewage, but the difference is not large for ARB and the impact may be minimal in large WW systems. In smaller WW infrastructures, a hospital or similar institution may have a higher impact on the effluent water from the WWTP, and this might suggest that local treatment of the WW at the hospital could be advantageous. A recent Norwegian study monitored bacterial diversity in different WW in the Oslo area, and found the highest concentration of AMR (ARB and/or ARG) in hospital WW. But surprisingly, high concentrations were also found in the studied community wastewater. The relative contribution of hospital effluents seemed low in terms of dissemination of antimicrobial resistant bacteria to the wastewater treatment plant. All measures that can be taken at source to avoid dissemination of antimicrobial agents, ARB, and ARG should be evaluated for their contribution towards combatting AMR emergence. Concentrations of antimicrobial agents, ARB, and ARG are highest in the sewage system and at the inlet to WWTPs. Separation of the different fractions of antimicrobials, ARB, and ARG for individual treatment may therefore reduce the total load reaching the WWTPs. Due to the high concentrations of ARB and ARG in the sewage system, risks from sewage pipe leakages are of concern. Intrusion of contaminated water into the drinking water distribution system should also raise concern. Rehabilitation of the sewage and drinking water networks will considerably mitigate risks. The level of sewage treatment in Norway is rather low, and upgrading will decrease the concentration of bacteria discharged. However, WWTPs are generally not designed for removal of AMR. Membrane processes seem to be the most promising option for increasing such removal rates. Future perspectives: The opinion discusses how the “concept of sensitive recipients” for requirements of the level of WWT could be revisited. This concept is currently based on controlling nutrient loads to the environment, rather than on trace contaminants or contaminants such as ARB and ARG that develop in the stressed environment. In the future, it might be of value to define requirements for WWT based on the relative increase caused by the discharge to the pollution level. Using such a paradigm, a small load with contaminants to a rather unpolluted environment would be rated as being highly critical and the discharge would require further treatment. In addition to the amount of ARB, the type of resistance and their level of horizontal mobility are also important in this aspect. This opinion also proposes the establishment of a new monitoring programme, parallel to the existing NORM and NORM-VET monitoring programmes; “NORM-ECO”. There is relatively little knowledge on AMR in non-clinical compartments, compared with hospital and other clinical settings, and parameters that would trigger immediate responses from NFAS or NEA are not yet identified. However, establishment of a “NORM-ECO”-system requires clarification of that needs further definition.

I en bestilling fra Fiskeridirektoratet (Fdir) bes Havforskningsinstituttet (HI) å opparbeide et kunnskapsgrunnlag for en vurdering av lokalitetsstrukturen i Nordfjord. I et påfølgende møte mellom Fdir og HI den 16/11-20 ble det avtalt at HI skulle utføre en konnektivitetsanalyse mellom lokaliteter i produksjonsområde 4 (PO4) ut i fra dagens lokalitetsstruktur og lusenivåer–et såkalt «null-scenario». Havforskningsinstituttet sine modeller indikerer moderate eller høye konsentrasjoner av infektive lakselus i stort sett hele PO4, unntatt indre deler av de store fjordene. Vi rapporterer høye konsentrasjoner av infektive lakselus i områdene Sognesjøen, ytre deler av Sognefjorden, Austefjord, Masfjorden, og Frøysjøen samt i flere viker og trange sund langs kystlandskapet i PO4. Smittenettverket for lakselus i PO4 ser ut til å være delt opp i 10 klynger av tett sammenkoblede lokaliteter, med generelt lignende fordeling av klynger innad i fjorder for lus og virus. Nåværende utsett-strategi fordelt på sesong og partall/oddetalls-år ser ikke ut til å påvirke klyngestrukturen til smittenettverket i PO4 i nevneverdig grad. Rangeringen av smittefaktorer i PO4 viser stor geografisk variasjon, med generelt høy eksport av smitte fra flere lokaliteter i områdene Sognesjøen, Austefjord, Masfjorden og Osterfjorden/Sørfjorden. Spesifikt for klyngen Nordfjord-Frøysjøen observerte vi lav konnektivitet med lokaliteter i andre klynger, med unntak noen få lokaliteter i Frøysjøen. Koblingene innad i Nordfjord-Frøysjøen-klyngen var dominert av selv-smitte, og da særlig på virus-siden. Ethvert koordinert tiltak innad i Nordfjord vil derfor mest sannsynlig gi god effekt grunnet lav påvirkning utenfra.

The ABC model - A Paradigm shift in Integrated Carrying Capacity Modelling.

Source at https://vkm.no/english/riskassessments/allpublications/assessmentofriskstoanimalhealthandbiodiversityfromimportandfarmingofaustralianredclawcrayfish.4.2375207615dac0245aee2789.html. Main message: It seems unlikely that the Australian red claw clayfish will establish reproductive populations under Norwegian climate conditions, but hitchhiker organisms and infectious agents could potentially follow the import, and unless managed, may pose risks to biodiversity and aquatic animal health. This is the conclusion in a risk assessment from the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM).

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) asked the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (Vitenskapskomiteen for mattrygghet, VKM) for a risk assessment on turkey welfare. The VKM report will be used by NFSA in assessing the need for amending the existing regulations, competence requirements, and guidelines for surveillance and control related to keeping turkeys. Inspectors from NFSA have reported that there are serious animal welfare challenges in today’s turkey production, despite the fact that producers largely comply with the existing species-specific legislation for turkeys. Compared with the legislation on broilers, current legislation on turkeys is limited and has not been revised since 2001. VKM was asked to describe the physiological and behavioural needs of turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in general, to assess welfare risks related to living area, animal densities, air quality, bedding, feeding and watering, and lighting regimes in turkeys kept for meat production. Description of risk-reduction measures was requested specifically with regards to living area, bedding, and feeding and watering. Relevant welfare indicators for turkeys were also to be described. Additionally, assessment of welfare risks related to semen collection (SC) and artificial insemination (AI) in parent stock were requested, together with a description of relevant risk-reduction measures. Organic production of turkey meat and the genetic constitution of the hybrids kept for meat production were not included in the request. Handling and transport of day old turkeys from hatchery to farm was excluded, as was handling related to transport and slaughter of turkeys kept for meat production. Welfare aspects of parent stock other than with respect to SC/AI were also excluded from the request. Nine detailed Terms of Reference were presented to VKM. VKM appointed a project group consisting of two external experts and two members of the Panel on Animal Health and Welfare to answer the request. The Panel on Animal Health and Welfare has reviewed and revised the draft prepared by the project group and finally approved the risk assessment. In the risk assessment, the main physiological and behavioural needs of farmed turkeys are identified and described. Today’s Norwegian turkey production environment may present obstacles to the fulfilment of several of these needs, regardless of compliance with existing legislation. Wet bedding is a major hazard to turkey welfare and is a cause of foot pad lesions and other skin lesions. As these skin conditions are widespread in Norwegian turkey production, wet bedding seems to represent a high risk to turkey welfare. An important riskreduction measure would be to minimise the likelihood of the litter becoming wet, by preventing leakages from the drinking system, by ensuring good gut health, replacing wet litter, and by establishing optimal ventilation and heating. Additionally, several moderate welfare risks are identified, including low temperature for poults, inappropriate diet or poor quality of drinking water, failure of the drinking system, as well as too high or too low light intensities or inappropriate lighting regimes. Also, the incorrect use of recovery pens is considered to be a moderate welfare risk related to living area, which may be reduced by introducing appropriate management guidelines. Animal welfare risks of lesser significance are associated with high temperatures, and failure of the feeding system. In addition, several hazards for turkey welfare were identified and characterised. However, due to lack of data with regards to the exposure of Norwegian turkeys to and/or the welfare consequences of these hazards, they were not fit for a complete risk assessment. These hazards include lack of environmental enrichment, insufficient space for movement, resting, and avoidance, inappropriate stocking densities and different air quality parameters. It should be noted that the welfare hazards related to insufficient space are of increasing relevance with progressing age and size of the animals, and that hazard characterisation of different stocking densities would further be complicated by their interaction with other factors in the production unit. High levels of dust, ammonia, and other noxious gases are potential hazards for turkey welfare related to air quality, but sufficient data for risk characterisation lack. The “transect walk” method represents a promising method for systematic on-farm registration of welfare in turkey flocks. Foot pad lesions, breast skin lesions and air sacculitis are valid animal welfare indicators, that are feasible and appropriate for recording at the slaughterhouse. Implementing systematic recording of these indicators would assist in generating an evidence-based document of the turkey welfare situation. With regards to artificial insemination of parent stock, moderate welfare risks are associated with damage/haemorrhage inflicted by the AI procedure, as well as routine feed deprivation prior to AI. Haemorrhage caused by the SC procedure, as well as stress or injuries caused by herding/catching and handling the turkeys in connection with both SC and AI, are characterised as low welfare risks. To reduce the welfare risks when performing SC and AI, the knowledge and skills of the responsible workers are of key importance.

Forward homepage: http://goodclam.org/

Review on: Aquaculture Microbiology and Biotechnology Volume 1. (Ed. By Didier Montet and Ramesh C. Ray). Science publishers Enfield, New Hampshire, USA.

There is a growing interest in placing wind farms offshore. 140 GW of offshore wind are currently being planned to reach the EU energy 2020 goal. However, an offshore wind farm occupies a large area and competes with other users of the maritime space. The integration of an offshore wind farm with other marine energy producers such as wave energy and other maritime users such as aquaculture farms may result in significant benefits in terms of economics, optimising spatial utilization, and minimising the environmental impact. In this research project, the integration benefits and disadvantages have been evaluated by the proposed study cases, however these cases are unrelated to Statoil’s planned wind projects.

Viral Haemorrhagic septicaemia viruses (VHSV) are isolated from 82 different fish species and are globally spread in freshwater as well as marine environments. The virus can cause disease outbreaks both in wild and farmed fish. Different genotypes of the virus have been isolated in different parts of the world. Furthermore, most isolates seem to show some degree of species specificity. For instance, the genotype 1a, that is a major killer in farmed rainbow trout, shows low mortality to cod, and vice versa the genotype III from cod show low mortality to rainbow trout. However, the established view was challenged in 2007, when a VHSV of genotype III resulted in a VHS outbreak on several sites with farmed rainbow in one fjord in Norway. The farmed populations were slaughtered, according to legislative regulation. Experimental challenge studies confirmed that this genotype III isolate showed higher morality rates compared to other genotype III isolates. The source of infection is still unknown, but wild reservoirs are suspected. A major aim is to investigate wild fish along the Norwegian cost for detection of VHSV. New isolates will be characterized and further investigated along with the genotype III isolated from 2007. So far we have tested almost 3000 fish from 36 different fish species. Results from the screening and tentative challenge trials will be presented.

Includes an English summary.

Using a new method for determining the stage of spawning in batch spawners, a positive correlation between the length of Arcto-Norwegian cod females, having spawned 25-75% of their eggs, and the egg diameter was established. This was not found in 1992 when egg groups from cod females in all stages of spawning were used. The maternal effect of cod female size was compared to the effect of stage of spawning. This comparison revealed the following tentative conclusions: 1) The egg diameter is less affected by the length of the cod female than by its stage of spawning. 2) The fertilization percentage and larval activity are correlated with the stage of spawning of the cod female, but not to its length. The present results indicate that the maternal effect of individual changes in egg characteristics during spawning is larger than the maternal effect of cod female size. In addition investigations on egg mortality, larval feeding ability, genetics, bacteriology, biochemistry and rearing of selected larvae groups to metamorphosis were carried out. The project will be terminated in 1994.

The stage of spawning of females of the Arcto-Norwegian cod caught during peak spawning in Lofoten had a profound effect on several vital parameters of the eggs and larvae. Significant negative correlations were demonstrated between stage of spawning and size of eggs and larvae and total content of nonprotein amino compounds (NPS). Reduced larval activity was recorded in groups from cod females at the end of spawning. Investigations on the bacteriological status and the fatty acid profiles of the eggs are also included. The results are proposed in order to demonstrate a recruitment mechanism and are discussed in this connection.