Introduction
Managing and regulating aquaculture has been described as a complicated issue because of lack of firm knowledge regarding risks such as diseases and environmental impact, as well as the dynamic nature of new solutions emerging (Osmundsen et al. 2017).
Development licensing is a policy instrument launched by the Norwegian government for technological innovation to reduce risk – especially regarding escape of fish, prevalence of salmon lice, as well as access to sea-based production localities. The development licens ing aims for technical innovation of new farm concepts, rather than social , organizational, or biological innovation or research. These projects can be seen as fish farming in extreme, and due to their clearly defined aims and major risks, they can be studied as showcases of norms and notions in Norwegian fish farming.
Research gap
Through earlier research in Norwegian fish farming, there is knowledge of risk dimensions, risk handling in the fish farm organizations,
(Fenstad, Osmundsen, & Størkersen, 2009; Gismervik et al., 2020; Holen, Utne, & Yang, 2018; Stien et al., 2020; Thorvaldsen, Holmen, & Moe, 2015)
and governmental measures to control these risks (Gismervik et al., 2020)
.
We know that several risks are insufficiently reduced, and aims not met. This have led the Norwegian government and public, to require a stop in growth. The development licenses are supposed to solve some of these issues. However, there have not yet been any studies about how the development licences contribute to or solve the risks and what goals the actors plan to solve.
Research question and methodological approach
We have studied six developing concepts , and asked: What goals do they have and what risks have they considered to be vital to handle? We have interviewed about 10 persons involved in each developing concept (so far 40 semi-structured research interviews). The actors have been representatives for fish farming companies, technology providers , biology and fish health consultants, other service operators, authorities, associations, verification companies, r esearch institutes, and knowledge providers.
Findings and implications for the future fish farming industry and research
Through the interviews and case studies, we have been seen that the actors involved in development projects handle the same risks that all Norwegian fish farmers need to handle to stay in business – and some more. The most common risks are Lice; Mortality and disease; Emission (fish escape, pollution); Personal injuries; B ankruptcy, and I ncompliance with regulations. In addition, in this data material, we find that the actors involved in the development concepts also aim to reduce local and global societal risks: Unemployment, food scarcity, and value creation for Norwegian fish farming. They underline their role to develop l ice free, emission free, safe and healthy operations, and and to increase aquaculture shares in global food production . They develop new networks with new actors, but employ local and known third party companies.
Possible effects of development licenses in aquaculture globally , may be new industry structures, more global networks, and perhaps increased competence and reduced risks. However, regulation needs changes if the industry should further develop.
The findings of this study may guide policy makers and the regulation of the industry, thus contributing to framework conditions for sustainable innovation long-term. Industry stakeholders will get knowledge that may be used to further evaluate development licenses as a strategy for innovation.
Literature
Fenstad, J., Osmundsen, T. C., & Størkersen, K. V. (2009). [Danger on the netpen? Need for changed safety work at Norwegian fish farms]. Trondheim, Norway: NTNU Samfunnsforskning.
Gismervik, K., Tørud, B., Kristiansen, T. S., Osmundsen, T. C., Størkersen, K. V., Medaas, C., . . . Stien, L. H. (2020). Comparison of Norwegian health and welfare regulatory frameworks in salmon and chicken production. Reviews in Aquaculture, n/a(n/a). doi:10.1111/raq.12440
Holen, S. M., Utne, I. B., & Yang, X. (2018). Risk dimensions of fish farming operations and conflicting objectives Safety and Reliability–Safe Societies in a Changing World (pp. 1425-1432): CRC Press.
Osmundsen, T. C., Olsen, M. S., & Thorvaldsen, T. (2020). The making of a louse-Constructing governmental technology for sustainable aquaculture. Environmental Science & Policy, 104, 121-128.
Stien, L. H., Tørud, B., Gismervik, K., Lien, M. E., Medaas, C., Osmundsen, T. C., . . . Størkersen, K. V. (2020). Governing the welfare of Norwegian farmed salmon: Three conflict cases. Marine Policy, 117, 103969.
Thorvaldsen, T., Holmen, I. M., & Moe, H. K. (2015). The escape of fish from Norwegian fish farms: Causes, risks and the influence of organisational aspects. Marine Policy, 55, 33-38.