Salmon Population Feared To Be Devastated After Thousands Escape From Icelandic Farm

The local population of salmon could be under threat as thousands of this fish had escaped from an Icelandic fish farm.

According to the Iceland's Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, it has been confirmed that the salmons that escaped could be found in multiple rivers across the northwestern portion of the country.

Escape from the fish pen

Thousands of salmon have escaped from the fish farm in in Patreksfjörður, owned by Arctic Fish, which is considered as one of the country's largest salmon-farming companies.

The said escape has renewed calls from environmentalists, sport fishers, and even politicians to restrict or prohibit the practice of open-pen fish farming.

Officials said that this was not the first big escape because in 2022, Arnarlax, which is another salmon farming company, was fined £705,000 for not reporting an escape of thousands of fish in 2021.

The Artic Fish admitted the escape and it has already apologized over the incident.

It said that in total, 27 of the escaped fish have been captured and identified, however, the total number of the fish that was lost is believed to be more like 3,500.

The company had said it was greatly concerned by the incident which it dubbed as "accidental," with chief executive officer Ove Tveiten saying that the firm has taken steps to reduce the possible negative impacts of the release.

"We think we know how the holes formed and are now working to make sure this doesn't happen again. At the same time, we have proposed measures to the Fisheries Agency and offered to pay their costs, which should ensure that the salmon that enter the rivers do not mix with wild salmon," Tveiten said.

Tveiten also noted that the firm had already asked the Agency if it is possible to use drift nets in the areas where escaped farmed fish have been found so that they can be removed more effectively.

On the other hand, Þordís Sif Sigurðardóttir, the mayor of Vesturbyggðar municipality, said it was already time to impose stricter rules and regulations, noting that even politicians have been calling for such a measure for more than 10 years.

The mayor also said that the industry and the authorities might want to look at moving salmon farming away from fjords onto the land areas.

Breeding with farm fish

Authorities said that the evolutionary fitness of Atlantic salmon was being damaged by genetic contamination whenever wild fish breed with escapees from fish farms and pens.

Studies said that when wild Atlantic salmon breed with the escaped farmed salmon, their descendants is seen to grow faster and mature at a younger age.

Experts said that the reduced age at maturity was mostly due to the changes in early number of years in freshwater rather than late life history or the number of years at sea, while growth was increased in both life stages.

This move undermines the ability of the species to survive and reproduce in its natural environment.

They explained that fish farming can harm wild populations in various ways, from genetic contamination to acquiring disease.

Most of the understanding of these dangers has been acquired from experiments in laboratories and controlled settings.

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