Fiskistofa is proposing drastic measures to prevent farmed salmon from interbreeding with wild salmon in rivers. These measures include postponing new farming licenses, closing salmon captures, and extending the fishing season. Diving and salmon netting will also be utilized to locate any farmed salmon that have already intermixed with the wild salmon.
Shocking words reported by the Icelandic media RÚV explain that growth-related issues have driven changes in salmon farming, and the Icelandic government is willing to take decisive actions. Iceland is a country that has seen exponential growth in aquaculture. According to RÚV's data, the value of exports from 2014 to 2022 has increased by 30% in just 8 years.
However, as RÚV reports, the regulations for this activity have not kept pace. According to their information, inadequate regulation has been the Achilles' heel of this industry. The government's decision seems to have been prompted by a recent report on the industry, which found a patchwork of regulations that left the industry largely unsupervised.
Concerns about the ecosystem's risk have been growing among Icelanders, concretely due to the hybridization of farmed fish escaping from pens. Specifically, MAST, the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, has documented at least 16 cases of escapes. These incidents have raised alarms among conservationists, who worry that farmed fish may introduce parasites into native fish populations and compete with them for food. For instance, recently, about 3,500 fish went missing in Patreksfjörður.
As RÚV explained, they "did not follow changes to aquaculture laws." Furthermore they added that "Ownership consolidation, unguided development, and operation of marine pens in various areas have taken root without much discussion or government response. Companies have received extended periods of free cultivation areas, and farms have crossed maritime routes, sacred areas for telecommunications and electricity cables, and zones of white light emitted from navigation beacons."
As reported by the media, these measures have contributed to the sector's growth, albeit not in the most responsible manner.