Farmed cod on the run threatens the coastal cod, says the Norwegian Green Party (MDG). The party now demands that the county council halt new permits for cod farming in Nordland, Northern Norway, writes MDG in a press release.

At the council county meeting in Svolvær last year, Håkon Møller, group leader of the Green Party in the County Council, asked the council to halt new permits for cod farming in Nordland.

He justifies the matter by saying that the farmed cod can escape or spawn in cages and that new knowledge must be in place before cod farming is scaled up.

"We have over 40 years of experience with conventional salmon farming. We cannot afford to repeat old mistakes with new species," says Møller.

In light of the case in Meløy this winter, where the fishery caught a significant amount of farmed cod, the national board of the Norwegian Fishermen's Association has asked that new permits be put on hold. In a letter to the Ministry of Industries and Fisheries, the Fishermen's Association claims that the development of cod farming is unjustifiable.

Møller now hopes that the county council will take action. He especially puts his trust in the Socialist Left Party (SV).

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