Iceland signals major aquaculture reform
Iceland is planning some significant changes to the country’s fish farming sector this year, the Reykjavik government has announced.
The trade and industry minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson has unveiled a draft bill on aquaculture, which she says is planned to strengthen the legal framework of the sector and combat negative environmental impacts by introducing incentives.
The aim is to create a more solid foundation for sustainable value creation in aquaculture. This is stated in the ministry’s presentation of the draft bill.
The bill will be a single comprehensive act on aquaculture activities that covers sea cage farming, land farming, ocean farming, and fjord grazing.
It is also expected to include measures on marine aquaculture fee collection (taxes), and the Aquaculture Fund will be repealed.
Several changes are proposed from the current law, many of which are based on the recommendations of the National Audit Office, which emerged in an administrative audit of aquaculture operations way back in January 2023.
Among the other proposals is the intention to increase incentives for the use of closed equipment and non-fertile salmon, to strengthen monitoring in rivers to increase scientific knowledge, and to implement a risk-based structure with infection control zones.
It is also planned to simplify licensing and supervision, which will include merging the operating licence of the Food and Veterinary Authority and the operating licence of the Environment and Energy Agency.
The government is proposing to increased supervisory powers for the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, a change in the implementation of risk assessments for genetic mixing, more effective responses to spills, and increased control over lice infestation and waste.
The salmon industry has yet to comment, but the bill is certain to attract opposition from sports fishing groups and some MPs, who want to see open pen salmon farming banned.
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