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HITRA DISEASE VERSUS SALMON FARMING

Hitra Disease versus Salmon Farming

Haylah Wagner

University of Prince Edward Island

IST-2010: Introduction to Island Studies

Professor Janice Sue Pettit

December 1, 2020
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The island of Hitra is located off the coast of Norway and is the largest island located

south of Lofoten. Hitra is the seventh-largest island off the coast of Norway and is bordered by

the municipality of Frøya. Hitra is part of the municipality of Trøndelag county, and its' capital is

Fillan. The island is approximately 755.9 km2 and houses a population of 5,050. Hitra is

surrounded by more than 3,200 islands, islets, and reefs and contains 7,000 lakes. The island of

Hitra gets an average of 527 mm of rain per year. It has its' highest temperature in July at 16°C

and lowest in January at -2°C (Best Time to Visit, Weather and Climate Hitra, n.d.). Hitra is

known for its tourism, aquaculture, trade, and construction industries (Welcome to Hitra, 2020).

The island is known for its aquaculture industry in crab and salmon. This industry is key to the

economy of Hitra. In 1977 a disease was discovered in the farmed salmon; it would later be

named Hitra disease (Sørum et al., 1988). I believe that Hitra disease had a significant impact on

the island's economy. This paper will review salmon farming on Hitra and the economic impact

Hitra disease may have caused.

Hitra is known as the cradle of salmon farming. The salmon farming industry was started

in 1971 by brothers Ove and Sivert Grøntvedt. The island was then credited with having the first

successful salmon farm. However, they were not the first to try breeding fish in Hitra. It was first

started by Karsten and Olav Vik in 1959, with the first freshwater farm to breed rainbow trout

(Salmon Farming Pioneers, n.d.). Ove and Sivert are credited with the first successful salmon

farm due to their idea of octagonal cages. The brothers started by placing 20,000 salmon smolts

in the octagonal cages, which they had built from lumber (Milstein, 2003). The cages were then

set in the sea outside the village of Ansnes. They thought this would be a success for the island

because it has the steady currents and cold temperatures needed for the perfect living conditions

for salmon.
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Ove and Sivert Grøntvedt paved the way for successful salmon farming in Norway. Since

the start of salmon farming, the industry has been growing 40% every year (Celebrating 50 Years

of Modern Aquaculture, 2020). There are now hundreds of salmon farms along the coast of

Norway. It has become an economic success for the entire country through being a primary

export industry and providing an abundance of jobs and activities. In 1986, the industry was

growing at such a rapid rate that they didn't know what to do with all the salmon. This was when

they started exporting to Japan. Since then, the industry has grown abundantly (Salmon Farming

Pioneers, n.d.). Salmon farming has generated 33,700 Norwegian jobs and delivers salmon to

140 countries (Salmon Farming Pioneers, n.d.). The salmon industry has not only provided jobs;

it has also increased tourism to the island of Hitra. Hitra has started giving tours of the fish farms

and has an exhibition in the Coastal Museum. This year, they celebrate 50 years of salmon

farming.

Hitra is the largest producer of farmed salmon. The island produces 260,000 tons of

salmon per year (Hunt, 2020). In particular, two companies, Mowi and Lerøy, are credited as the

"world's largest, most lucrative and innovative companies in the field of salmon farming,

manufacturing, and sustainable development." ("Welcome to Hitra," n.d.). The industry was

doing well until the industry's growth led to illnesses in the farmed salmon (Addressing Impacts

of Salmon Farming on Wild Atlantic Salmon, n.d.).

One of the illnesses that have affected and continue to affect the salmon in Hitra is sea

lice. Sea lice are a common problem with salmon farms. They attach themselves to salmon and

feed on their flesh. These parasites are brought in by wild salmon and use the salmon pens as

breeding grounds. Sea lice can reproduce rapidly, as a single female can produce 8,000 eggs

(Milstein, 2003). With these parasites eating away at the salmon's flesh, it is making them more
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HITRA DISEASE VERSUS SALMON FARMING
susceptible to other diseases. One disease that they could become more susceptible to is Hitra

disease. Over the years, chemicals have been used to treat sea lice. This has caused them to

become drug-resistant, making the problem even worse for farms (Resistant Salmon Lice Spread

to Wild Fish, n.d.).

Another illness that is present in salmon on the island of Hitra is Hitra disease. This is the

primary illness we will focus on. Hitra disease is also known by three other names: haemorrhagic

syndrome and cold water vibriosis and the scientific name Vibrio salmonicida. This disease first

appeared in salmon in 1977 (Kent & Poppe, n.d.). However, it wasn't until 1979 that it appeared

on a large scale. This is when it spread northward up the coast of Norway until late autumn in

1983 (Egidius et al., 1986). In the early eighties, severe outbreaks of Hitra disease were recorded

on Hitra.

Cold water vibriosis tends to occur in the winter months when the water temperature is

low, but it can occur throughout the year. Occurrences of Hitra disease may elevate due to

increased environmental stress and decreased nutrition (Kent & Poppe, n.d.). The disease targets

the larger population of salmon first. Vibrio salmonicida is a bacterial disease. The disease's first

signs are lethargy and termination of eating (Kent & Poppe, n.d.). The disease causes extensive

haemorrhages and anemia. The haemorrhages occur on the surface of internal organs, inside of

organs, and in muscle. In particular, the haemorrhages occur on the external abdomen, internal

swim bladder, posterior gastrointestinal tract, and abdominal wall (Olav Holm et al., 1985). The

diseased salmon will normally appear darker in colour with pale fins. They will also present

protrusion of the eyeball, have a swollen vent, and exhibit hemorrhages along the abdomen,

pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins (Kent & Poppe, n.d.). Further research on the disease showed that
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it also damages endothelial cells in the liver, spleen, and nephros (Olav Holm et al., 1985). This

disease also occurs in other fish species, but salmon is the most common in Hitra.

Hitra disease caused severe mortality in the salmon populations on the island of Hitra

(Egidius et al., 1981). At first, these high mortality rates were shocking to the community as they

were unsure of the cause. After various research and reports of similar symptoms occurring in

salmon along the coast, they discovered it was cold-water vibriosis. Salmon farms across the

entire island were hit by Hitra disease. The disease was named after the island because it is

where it first posed a major problem (Salte et al., 1987). The disease wreaked havoc on the

salmon population until a vaccine was discovered.

A vaccine for Hitra disease was made in 1987 (Kjaempenes, 2020). The vaccine was

produced through culturing the bacterium, Vibrio salmonicida, known to cause Hitra disease.

The bacterium culture was then mixed with an adjuvant. An adjuvant is an immunological agent

that is combined with the cultured bacterium to improve the immune response to the vaccine.

The adjuvant for this vaccine was mineral oil and was mixed at a 1:5 ratio (O. Holm &

Jørgensen, 1987). To administer the vaccine, they first started by immersing the salmon in the

mixture. They would do this twice, six weeks apart (O. Holm & Jørgensen, 1987). Immersion in

the vaccine was not entirely effective, so they decided to inject the salmon with the mixture.

When they first started vaccinating the salmon, they saw side effects from the mineral oil.

Instead of trying another adjuvant, they figured it was acceptable because disease prevention was

the number one priority (O. Holm & Jørgensen, 1987). These side effects proved to have

negative effects on the salmon populations. Some people on Hitra believed that they could have

survived the economic loss from Hitra disease, but not the antibodies' negative effects (Gudding

& Van Muiswinkel, 2013). They now think that the vaccination may be less effective due to
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HITRA DISEASE VERSUS SALMON FARMING
mutations in the bacterium and overuse of the vaccination. However, there have not been any

major outbreaks of Hitra disease since the late eighties.

Since the discovery in 1977, there have been occurrences of Hitra disease in salmon

farms across the globe. The first occurrences were along the coast of Norway throughout the

early eighties. Another place in Norway that got hit especially hard by Hitra disease was Bergen,

due to their high density of salmon farms. In 1983, they isolated Vibrio salmonicida from some

of the salmon population (Egidius et al., 1986). Hitra disease became a major problem in Maine,

U.S. in 1993 (Atlantic Salmon in Maine, 2004). In January of 1985, Scotland recorded their first

outbreak of Hitra disease. They reported low-level mortalities in cage sites in Northern Scotland

(Bruno et al., 1985). Hitra disease was also recorded in salmon populations from the Faroe

Islands (Salte et al., 1987). There have even been reports in Canada. The disease was isolated in

farmed salmon in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (Sørum et al., 1992). In November of 1991,

the daily mortality rate in salmon farms in British Columbia increased from 0.01% to 0.06% due

to Hitra disease (Brocklebank & Evelyn, 1992).

I believe that Hitra disease significantly impacted the island of Hitra. One way in

particular that the island was affected was economic. Vibrio salmonicida is known as Hitra

disease because it refers to the island in which it was first recognized as an economic threat

(Olav Holm et al., 1985). The disease appeared in their salmon farms only eight years after the

industry began. Initially, there was no vaccine for it; therefore, it wreaked havoc on their salmon

population. It not only harmed their farmed salmon but their wild salmon as well. This damaged

all aspects of the salmon industry on Hitra. Hitra disease infected and killed a tremendous

portion of the Grøntvedts' salmon. This tremendous loss forced the fathers of salmon farming,

Ove and Sivert, to sell their salmon farm (Milstein, 2003). Hitra disease affected not only salmon
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HITRA DISEASE VERSUS SALMON FARMING
populations but also the rainbow trout. The rainbow trout populations suffered severe mortalities

(Egidius et al., 1981). Hitra disease damaged fish stocks across the island. This loss of product

could have resulted in a collapse of the fishing industry on Hitra. The loss of fish stocks

increased the production costs for salmon farmers across the island. Every farm infected by Hitra

disease eventually killed their fish stocks to avoid a massive outbreak (Asche et al., 2008). The

loss from infected farms drastically increased the cost of production. After a vaccine was

introduced, the economy started to come back. However, there were negative effects associated

with the vaccine. These negative effects then posed another issue for the economy on Hitra, and

some believed that they would not come back from it (Gudding & Van Muiswinkel, 2013).

The impact of Hitra disease on the island of Hitra has not broken their spirit about salmon

farming. Norway announced in 2013 that they wanted to increase the production of salmon by

2025 to 2.7 million tonnes. This would then increase this industry's contribution to the country's

GDP to $62 billion (Kathy, 2013). Hitra continues to be a major producer of farmed salmon.

Although lately, there have been other hurdles to their production rates. One of these

hurdles is the growing issue of sea lice. This problem was mentioned previously, but over the

years, it has gotten worse. In 2016, the supply of salmon decreased due to sea lice. This hit the

industry hard (Castle, 2017). Another problem that has been increasing in recent years is salmon

escaping events. In 2019, the fishery Mowi discovered a three-meter long tear in one of their net

pens and reported 4,800 salmon missing (Nearly 5,000 Fish Believed to Have Escaped from

Mowi Norway Farm, 2019). The other major producer on Hitra, Lerøy, reported 10,000 salmon

missing in an escape in 2020 (Eide & Nygard, 2020). Another issue with some salmon farms is

their location and orientation. Many times, salmon farmers cannot choose the location of their

farms. These locations are based upon local and national regulations. This issue has led to sites
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HITRA DISEASE VERSUS SALMON FARMING
being more susceptible to diseases of up-current sites (Helge Stien et al., 2020). Even with these

problems, Hitra has not encountered another crisis as big as Hitra disease.

The island of Hitra is historically known as the first place with successful salmon

farming. Ove and Sivert Grøntvedt started an industry that became a major economic sector for

the island. The brothers also paved the way for salmon farming globally. Hitra is now the largest

producer of salmon. The introduction of Vibrio salmoncidia to the farmed salmon caused a

massive loss of salmon stocks. This massive loss of salmon took its toll on the salmon farming

industry on Hitra. It caused an increase in production costs, a decrease in productivity, and

overall economic losses. The name Hitra disease came from Hitra being recognized as the island

where the disease showed an economic threat. The economic threat was so great to the island,

Ove and Sivert Grøntvedt were forced to sell their salmon farm. They found hope in the vaccine

that was introduced in 1987. However, the vaccine brought on more economic issues due to the

introduction of antibodies. Although Hitra may have gotten cold water vibriosis under control,

the salmon farming industry is still under attack from other factors. Hitra is still a major producer

of salmon and will continue to be one, no matter what barrier they face. They may face economic

impacts during hard times due to reliance on one industry, but they continue on the path of

aquaculture.
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