Former company of Nesvik is reported

Fish Seafood Salmon nesvikSalmon. Photo: Norway Today Media

MDG has reported the former company of Nesvik

MDG has reported the former company of the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, Harald Tom Nesvik (Progress Party), to The Economic Crime Unit (Økokrim), following disclosures of illegal dumping of delousing agents.

 

Together with The Socialist Party (SV), The Green Party (MDG) has also issued written questions to the newly appointed Minister for Fisheries, where they request an assessment of the pollution from the company that he left to join the Government. This according to the Norwegian public broadcaster, NRK.

Before Nesvik was appointed as Minister of Fisheries, he worked as Communications Manager in the wellboat company Sølvtrans. According to the NRK, the company and Nesvik both have admitted that delousing water was emptied at a cod spawning area. Which is strictly forbidden, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

It is important for us that the company is reported to the police because the aquaculture industry needs to face the consequences to the kind of actions that both Sølvtrans and Nesvik have admitted to. We hope Økokrim will take the case on, writes Communications Adviser for MDG, Jonas Ravn, in an email to NTB.

Unclear rules

According to the regulations dating from March 2017, vessels that carry out the delousing of farmed fish must be at least 500 metres away from important breeding areas for fish and shrimp, before releasing the chemicals into the sea.

Nesvik says the following in a comment to NRK:

– The rules for drainage of delousing water from wellboats after leaving the aquaculture plant are clear. I note, that some perceive the rules as being unclear nonetheless. Therefore, there will soon be a guide issued which clarifies the rules in more detail.

He says he will answer the questions from SV and MDG before the deadline, which is six working days from they are received.

Sandberg’s successor

Nesvik took over on August 13th as the Minister of Fisheries after party colleague, Per Sandberg, resigned after it was known that he ignored several safety routines when he and his girlfriend Bahareh Letnes visited Iran in July and on several other occasions. This without notifying his own ministry or the Prime Minister’s office of the private Holiday trip to the high-risk country.

The gravest breach was that Sandberg brought the official phone along, leaving it unattended for most of the trip.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today