Icelandic landowners sue Arctic Fish over escaped salmon; lawsuit supported by singer Björk.
Landowners in Iceland have launched legal action against salmon farmer Arctic Fish and the Icelandic state following a 2023 escape event that saw thousands of farmed salmon found in dozens of rivers across the country.
The suit, filed with the support of the Icelandic Wildlife Fund and financed in part by a “generous donation” from singer and activist Björk, seeks to revoke the company’s farming licences in the Patreksfjörður and Tálknafjörður fjords.
Arctic Fish, which is majority-owned by Mowi, denies the accusations and has called for the case to be dismissed.
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“We note that Arctic Fish believes the claims are unfounded and that the case should be rejected in its entirety,” Mowi’s communications director Ola Helge Hjetland told Dagbladet.
The lawsuit follows the discovery of escaped salmon in approximately 50 rivers after an incident involving around 3,500 farmed fish. Icelandic media reports that in one of the rivers, the level of genetic introgression in wild salmon populations has reached 11 percent.
“This is exactly what people feared,” said Gunnar Örn Petersen, head of the Federation of Icelandic River Owners, who called the case a “principled” challenge with significant implications.
Björk, who has repeatedly criticised Norwegian-owned aquaculture operations on the island, has previsouly been quoted as saying that “the equipment and farming technology were imported to Iceland, the CEOs were imported from Norway, and so were the bad habits of this awful industry.”
If the lawsuit is successful, Arctic Fish could lose the licence to produce up to 7,800 tonnes of salmon annually. The company reported a net profit of ISK 390 million ($2.85 million/€2.65 million) in 2024.
