About 400,000 salmon dead across three fish farms in Newfoundland

ST. JOHN'S — About 400,000 fish recently died across three salmon farming sites operated by Mowi Canada East along the south coast of Newfoundland, the second major die-off the company has reported this summer.

The company said the "abnormal mortality incident" affected about 23 per cent of the Atlantic salmon at the three sites near Harbour Breton, N.L., which is at the southern tip of the Connaigre Peninsula, about 230 kilometres east of St. John's.

"Although we know the approximate scale of the loss we cannot determine an exact figure after only a few days," Mowi said in a Facebook post Thursday. "It is an unfortunate fact that all livestock farmers will encounter and must manage environmental mortality events from time to time."

The post said the salmon were killed by a thermocline