Westfjords now Iceland's star salmon region

The combined output in the first half of this year was 26,000 metric tons from three of the largest companies, according to reports in the Westfjords regional news website bb.is (Bæjarins besta).

The figures are based on ungutted fish and correspond to the biomass that was in the pens. This amount is equivalent to around 22,000 tons of gutted farmed salmon and the export value was 22 billion krónur (£132m).

Mowi-owned Arctic Fish recorded the largest harvest out of the three companies, with about 13,500 tons of whole salmon.

The company’s production has never been higher in a six-month period, says bb.is.

Arnarlax, majority owned by SalMar of Norway, produced about 10,700 tons and Háafell about 1,760 tons.

According to Gauti Geirsson, the managing director of Háafell, the year has been good for salmon farming. His company has added laser beam devices to kill lice, and Geirsson said this has kept lice numbers under.

Meanwhile, the Vesturbyggð Municipal Council in the region has expressed disappointment that the proposed national bill on aquaculture failed to get through Iceland’s parliament (Althingi) this spring.

The authority said: "In recent years, aquaculture has become one of the most important industries in the Westfjords and has had a significant positive impact on the economy, value creation and regional development.

“For municipalities where aquaculture is practiced, it is of great importance that the activity has a clear, stable and predictable legal environment that supports responsible development and continued investment.”