News

The use of pharmaceuticals

Publish date: January 11, 2009

In fish farming where you find fish in large concentrations you will get problems with disease. To deal with disease outbreaks, a number of measures such as various medications are used. Farmers use pharmaceuticals to treat bacterial diseases, sea lice and other parasites. The following table summarizes the type of medication and amount used per year.

  1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Antibacterial agents
1044 556 671 591 685 645 1219 805 1159 1215 1428 649
Anesthesia agents
593 781 689 524 864 944 1328 1201 1240 1360 1623 1914
Endo- and ectoparasites
1904 2507 2119 732 800 648 669 759 854 678 797 721
 Total 3541 3843 3479 1847 2349 2237 3216 2764 3252 3253 3848 3284

Source: The Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Antibacterials (per kg active ingredient)

  2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Florfenicol
109 205 154 111 202 302 139
Flumequin
7 5 60 4 28 7 18
Lincomycin/ Spectinomycin (1:2)
– – – – – 50 67
Oxytetracycline
12 11 45 5 8 0 19
Oxolinic acid
517 998 546 1035 977 1119 406
Total
645 1219 805 1159 1215 1478 649

 

Anaesthetics (per kg active ingredient)

  2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Benzocaine*
500 500 500 500 400 400 700
Chlorbutanol
1 – – – – – –
Metacaine
440 827 699 737 960 1216 1214
Isoeugenol**
3 1 1,5 2,5 – 6,5 0

*calculated sales for fish breeding. Benzocaine is also used in human medicine.
**Isoeugenol is only used for research. 

Sea lice treatment (per kg active ingredient)

  2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Cypermethrin
69 62 59 55 45 49 30
Deltamethrin
19 23 16 17 16 23 29
Teflubenzuron
28 – – – – – –
Emamectin
12 20 23 32 39 60 73
Total
128 105 98 104 100 132 132

 

Anthelmintics (per kg active ingredient)

  2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Fenbenadazole
21 8 2 23 78 27 1
Praziquantel
100 152 232 412 122 145 94
Total
121 160 234 435 200 172 95

 

Fungicides (kg active substance)

  2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Bronopol
392 396 422 314 377 492 493
Malachite green
7 8  4,5* 0,7* 0,9* 0,9* 0,8*
Total
399 404 427 315 378 493 494

 *Has not been used in production of fish for human consumption.

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