Environmental monitoring of fish farming facilities – NS 9410

Good environmental conditions are essential for fish to grow and thrive in aquaculture operations. The accumulation of feed waste and excrement results in poor water quality, which in turn leads to reduced growth, health problems, and disease. The Aquaculture Operations Regulations and the Licensing Regulations from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries require fish farmers to carry out environmental monitoring of their facilities using standardized monitoring methods.

The standard NS 9410 Environmental monitoring of seabed impact from marine aquaculture facilities outlines a method for measuring and monitoring seabed conditions at farming sites. By regularly monitoring environmental impact, corrective actions can be taken if the development is heading in an undesirable direction.

The standard has been internationalized, and ISO has published a more general and high-level version intended for use in parts of the world where such environmental monitoring standards have not previously been applied.