2.2. Fish
Sixty-six Atlantic salmon, with individual body weight 3–5 kg, were collected live in April 2007, from the R. Lernes AS fish farm at Kyrksæterøra in central Norway. The mean SW temperature in the cage for the last few weeks before transport was 7 C (acclimation temperature) and the fish were fed (Ewos Opal-110 2500 containing 35–39% of protein, 36–40% of fat and 20 mg kg1 of astaxanthin) until 17 days before transport to our laboratory. Routine analyses, carried out for the fish farmer, showed that fish from the same cage as our experimental fish had a mean condition factor of 1.25, a total fat content of 13.5%, 7.5 mg kg1 of astaxanthin, and Roche colour card and SalmoFan™ readings of 15 and 27, respectively. Fat and colour were determined in the Norwegian Quality Cut.