The escape incident occurred in late November 2024, following damage to one of the net pens deployed at the company’s Labukta site. Despite Norcod immediately enacting emergency protocols, a significant number of cod had already escaped the time the breach was repaired.
A recapture programme was initiated as part of the company's contingency procedures, with Norcod announcing that 4,350 fish had been recovered just over a month after the incident occurred.
Now, another month on, The Norwegian Fisheries Directorate has confirmed estimates for the number of fish released during the breach to be approximately 27,500. Whilst recapture efforts remain ongoing, how successful these will be remains to be seen.
"This is a serious incident. Until a thorough investigation of the net is completed in January, we do not wish to speculate on the cause. Norcod has a zero-escape vision and is leaving no stone unturned to learn from this and prevent such incidents from occurring again," said Chris Guldberg, chief operating officer at Norcod.
