Plague or cholera? Stakeholder perspectives on Norwegian salmon farming regulations

Abstract

Despite its success, Norway's salmon farming industry has caused environmental challenges, which have significantly altered the management and regulatory needs of the industry. The current Norwegian regulatory framework faces criticism when it comes to its ability to generate sustainable practices within the industry, and many also argue that current governmental incentives for innovation are insufficient in light of escalating environmental externalities. In addition, a lack of consensus among stakeholders regarding such impacts still remain. Given this scenario, understanding the diverse perspectives of stakeholders is believed to raise awareness of diverse viewpoints, foster deeper understanding, and build consensus across different sectors. Thus, this paper aims to investigate stakeholder perceptions concerning the current Norwegian regulatory landscape for salmon farming. Through semi-structured interviews with government officials, experts, fishers, industry and ENGO representatives, our research identifies five pivotal themes: (1) challenges with the current Traffic Light System - the most important aquaculture regulation in Norway, (2) salmon lice control versus farmed salmon’s welfare, (3) supervision challenges and regulatory loopholes, (4) the call for policies that support technological innovation, (5) and perceptions of the industry and the call for more collaboration. Our findings reveal that, despite different views, there is a broad consensus on the need for a regulatory reform in order to steer the industry towards more sustainable practices.