Iceland needs your voice.
The new Aquaculture Bill allows for the expansion of sea cage salmon farming, which puts Iceland’s fjords, economy, and wild Atlantic salmon at risk. Add your comments to the bill by January 26. Parliament can still add three simple guardrails:
01
Set a clear phase-out date for existing sea cages.
02
Stop issuing new licenses for sea cages.
03
Mandate the transition to closed containment or land-based systems.
WHAT IS THIS BILL
AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Right now, Iceland’s Parliament is updating national aquaculture laws. This bill will determine whether sea cage salmon farming expands or whether Iceland transitions to safer, modern systems.

We need to mandate modernization because:

  • The sea cages sit directly in fjords
  • They discharge waste, chemicals, and parasites into public waters
  • This practice puts wild Atlantic salmon at risk of extinction

Once licenses are granted, they can lock Iceland into harmful practices for decades

This bill is still being shaped and public comments matter.

Icelanders demand a bill that:

  • Explicitly halts any expansion of sea cage salmon farming.
  • Phases out outdated sea cages on a clear timeline.
  • Speeds transition to sustainable aquaculture.
  • Protects wild salmon and Iceland’s biodiversity.
  • Sets clear environmental standards, that if not met, result in reduction of production.
  • Upholds landowners’ rights over polluting corporate interests.
  • Shields Iceland from long-term ecological, legal, and reputational harm.

Irreversible Environmental Risk

(as acknowledged by the bill itself)

  • Wild Atlantic salmon populations have decreased by ~75% since 1970.
  • Right now, ~30,000,000 farmed fish would be allowed in our fjords while only 60,000 wild salmon are coming back to our rivers.

Pollution of Icelandic Fjords

  • Our fjords are public, and our most valuable assets.
  • Sea cages discharge untreated waste, feed, and pharmaceuticals into them.
  • Microplastics and organic loading from the excess feed and waste degrade seabeds. 
  • Iceland pays the price. Norwegian corporations take the profits.

Poor Animal Welfare

  • When up to 40% of the salmon die before harvest, something’s broken.
  • The bill plans for death and suffering instead of preventing it. Three entire chapters (IX–XI) are dedicated to managing mortality, lice, and disease.
WE NEED INNOVATION,
NOT EXPANSION
There is a better, more sustainable way to farm salmon: Land-based operations, including closed & semi-closed containment solutions.

How are land-based operations superior?

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  • Prevent farmed salmon from escaping and contaminating wild genes
  • Capture waste and eliminate fjord pollution
  • Improve animal welfare and biosecurity
  • Create higher-skill, land-based jobs
Sea cages VS. TOURISM
There’s no comparison.

What do we actually get? Sea cage salmon farming in Iceland offers limited local jobs and modest revenue in exports (~54 billion ISK) while triggering significant ecological costs, plummeting wild salmon numbers, persistent waste and microplastic pollution, high fish mortality, and large-scale escape incidents.

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What’s actually good for Iceland: Tourism. Our biggest industry, it delivers roughly18x more economic value (~964 billion ISK), spreads employment across the country, and comes with far less risk.

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The bottom line: Salmon aquaculture is a high-risk, low-return model. Tourism only survives if our fjords and wild nature do. Let’s not trade a proven industry for a risky one.

Tourism delivers ~18x more value with far less risk.
Sea cage salmon farming
TOURISm
(Hreint náttúruhagkerfi)
Jobs
~200–300
Tens of thousands
Annual Revenue
~54 bn ISK
~964 bn ISK
Environmental Risk
High
low
Public Support
Low
(~65% of Icelanders oppose)
High
Long‑Term Outlook
Liability & rising bans
Growth & global 
reputation flourish
Parliament must make a choice.
Short-term gains for a few or long-term protection of Iceland’s economy, fjords, communities, and global reputation.

The bill purports to improve oversight but locks Iceland into a high-risk, low-return model. It is vital we modernize it while we still can: ending expansion of sea cages and setting a clear transition away from them.

The North Atlantic Salmon Fund and a growing coalition of Icelandic landowners, business leaders, scientists, and international partners stand ready to work with Parliament on solutions that protect Iceland’s coast and its future. We are also prepared to hold accountable any leader who sells off Iceland’s natural resources to benefit foreign corporations.

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This bill can still be made right.

What the bill
gets right

‍

01.

Single operator per smitvarnasvæði (disease control zone) going forward

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02.

Reduced production fees for closed and semi-closed systems

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03.

Increased access and funding for monitoring bodies

Where the bill fails

The draft bill includes positive steps but the below must be fixed:

01.

Allows Continued Expansion of Sea Cages

• No binding cap on total biomass

• Genetic risk assessments are advisory, not mandatory

• New sea cage zones may still be licensed

• No new protected fjords

• Carrying‑capacity assessments enable growth instead of limiting it

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02.

Locks In Sea Cages for Decades

• The Icelandic people could owe money to foreign corporations: The bill introduces “Laxahlutur” quotas that create de facto property rights. This allows sea cages to claim there is a quota in place which in turn allows them to claim compensation from the Icelandic public if the quota is reduced or taken. The only secure way to prevent this is a clear date for the phase out of sea cages.

• This makes future transition financially and legally risky.

• Allows licenses up to 16 years, with renewals

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03.

Merely Incentivizes Safer Technology Instead of Requiring it

• Closed systems receive discounts, not mandates

• Sea cages remain the default

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04.

Normalizes Ecological Damage

• Pollution is priced, not prevented

• Fish deaths and waste are treated as acceptable outcomes

• Monitoring happens after damage occurs

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DAYS
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