June 27, 2024

Salmon deaths in Icelandic fish farms surge to nearly 2 million in early 2024

According to the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST), about 1.3 million farmed salmon died in sea cages in the first five months of 2023, and that number has risen to just under two million this year, roughly equivalent to 100 times the entire spawning stock of Icelandic wild salmon, Iceland Review reported.

Jon Kaldal, spokesperson for the Icelandic Nature Conservation Association, said that the government must act and shut down offending fish farms.

"We know that the Federation of Icelandic Fish Farmers will fight against legislation that prohibits these practices because the suffering and death of farmed salmon are a part of the business model of aquaculture companies. They expect a high percentage of the salmon not to survive the conditions in the sea cages," Jon stated.

Jón also pointed towards Norway, which has seen its domestic aquaculture industry grow significantly in recent years. According to Jón, the largest associations of Norwegian biologists and experts in fish diseases urged the Norwegian government this spring to require Norwegian aquaculture companies to reduce mortality rates to under 5% per year.

-      Iceland Review