Blow to Laxar.
Icelandic authorities have revoked a 10,000 tonnes salmon and rainbow trout licence belonging to the fish farmer Laxar.
Laxar had a licence to farm on a site on Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland’s longest fjord. The site is associated with Laxar Fiskeldi, which is majority-owned (53.5 per-cent), by Norway’s Masoval Fiskeoppdrett.
A number of people who have interests employed in the operation of salmon fishing rivers made a claim to Iceland’s Appellate Committee for Environment and Natural Resources.
The agency said it believes that “the main negative effects of the planned increase in production in the aquaculture of salmon aquaculture in Reyðarfjörður lie in the impact on benthic life, increased risk of fish diseases and salmon lice in wild salmonids and effects on wild salmon stocks due to genetic mixing”.
“The license was revoked by the Environmental and Natural Resources Appeal Committee on the basis that there was a mismatch in the smolt size between our application and the license issued by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority,” explained Laxar CEO Jens Garðar Helgason to SalmonBusiness.
“The Minister of Seafood can issue a temporary license until the IFVA has issued a new license. Of course, this is unfortunate but should not stop or halt any of our plans for this year,“ added Helgason.
