Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Icelandic fish farming scandal

Another scandal has arisen with the new far-right administration that recently took office without elections. It is actually the same people who were in the outgoing right-wing government that was dissolved after Prime Minister Katrín Jakopsdóttir decided to seek the office of President of Iceland.

The case concerns the rights of large Norwegian companies in aquaculture in the Icelandic fjords with processing rights for 16 years. Until now, there has been no official control over the activities of these companies, and the companies have had to control themselves. This has led to the fact that an incredible number of farmed salmon have escaped from pens and entered nearby and distant salmon fishing rivers, destroying the wild populations that have lived there and been used for sport fishing.

Now the far-right administration is going to accept serious comments about monitoring with new laws, but instead give the Norwegian companies an unlimited operating license forever. The fjords will be their property which can be mortgaged or sold like any other property right. This has caused bad blood in the opposition, which claims that Norwegians are being given national ownership.

No comments: