In January 2026, in support of our friends at NASF working to safeguard wild Atlantic salmon in Iceland, we wrote to the Icelandic government about their draft Aquaculture Bill.
In line with our position in Scotland, and across the wider North Atlantic, we provided detailed evidence on the harm caused by open pen salmon farming and urged policymakers in Iceland to:
1. Adopt an immediate moratorium on the expansion of open pen salmon farming.
2. Enforce strong regulation for sea lice, escapes and disease from existing salmon farms immediately.
3. Commit to a transition away from open pen production to zero emissions production methods (no sea lice transmission to wild fish, no farmed fish escapes and no disease transmission), such as closed containment.
Iceland now has an opportunity to be a world-leader in legislating for more sustainable aquaculture practices, and to afford wild Atlantic salmon the protection they deserve. We urge the government of Iceland to seize this opportunity and help forge a brighter path for wild salmon.
