The infectious diseases that pose a threat to the Norwegian farmed salmon industry in the coming years due to climate changes.

Abstract

What emerging diseases can we expect as a threat to the rapidly growing and important farmed salmon industry in Norway due to anthropogenic environmental changes? This question will be answered as best as possible based on published studies in the field. First, basic knowledge of the current salmon industry in Norway is provided and the impact of climate change on aquaculture is presented, before the relationship between climate change and the impact of emerging diseases on the industry is examined. Climate change has been shown to affect salmon both directly, through abiotic factors, and indirectly, through pathogens. The abiotic factors are expected to change in a direction unfavorable to salmon, causing them to experience more stress. Pathogens, on the other hand, tend to thrive in the changing environment, according to the studies conducted. Several studies have examined various emerging diseases, and all agree that infectious diseases will be a greater problem in the future. It is expected that some of the pathogens present in the Norwegian industry today will emerge either in the form of incidence/virulence or geographically. Wild salmon have been shown to be carriers for many pathogens, making disease reoccurrence easier and disease outbreaks difficult to control. Vaccinations are used in the farming industry to control some diseases, such as Furunculosis. Diseases that are expected to continue to impact the farmed salmon industry and become more prevalent as a result of climate change include salmon louse, heart and skeletal muscle inflammation, cardiomyopathy syndrome, amoebic gill disease and proliferative kidney disease.

What emerging diseases can we expect as a threat to the rapidly growing and important farmed salmon industry in Norway due to anthropogenic environmental changes? This question will be answered as best as possible based on published studies in the field. First, basic knowledge of the current salmon industry in Norway is provided and the impact of climate change on aquaculture is presented, before the relationship between climate change and the impact of emerging diseases on the industry is examined. Climate change has been shown to affect salmon both directly, through abiotic factors, and indirectly, through pathogens. The abiotic factors are expected to change in a direction unfavorable to salmon, causing them to experience more stress. Pathogens, on the other hand, tend to thrive in the changing environment, according to the studies conducted. Several studies have examined various emerging diseases, and all agree that infectious diseases will be a greater problem in the future. It is expected that some of the pathogens present in the Norwegian industry today will emerge either in the form of incidence/virulence or geographically. Wild salmon have been shown to be carriers for many pathogens, making disease reoccurrence easier and disease outbreaks difficult to control. Vaccinations are used in the farming industry to control some diseases, such as Furunculosis. Diseases that are expected to continue to impact the farmed salmon industry and become more prevalent as a result of climate change include salmon louse, heart and skeletal muscle inflammation, cardiomyopathy syndrome, amoebic gill disease and proliferative kidney disease.