The Patreksfjörður farmed salmon escape involved the escape of approximately 3500 farm-raised Atlantic

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

in an open fish farm on August 20, 2023, at

Patreksfjörður Patreksfjörður (, ) is a fishing village in the Westfjords of Iceland. It was an important fishing and trading post until the Icelandic government's introduction of a fishing quota in 1990. Administratively, it is part of the municipality of Ve ...

, a village on the northwest coast of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. The fish farm is managed by Arctic Fish, an agricultural company in Norway. Soon after the incident, Arctic Fish discovered two 20 by 30-centimeter holes in its net pens.

Aftermath

Arctic Fish fixed the two holes by placing new nets over them on August 21, 2023. Drone footage shows that fish were seen in the river of Ósá in Patreksfjörður on August 22, 2023. Inspectors from the Directorate of Fisheries, Norway, ordered Arctic Fish to set up nets in nearby rivers on August 23, 2023. At least four salmon that appeared to have characteristics of farmed salmon were caught in the nets and were sent to the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute for analysis. Arctic Fish has issued an apology.

Environmental Impact

Many of the escaped farmed salmon have reached sexual maturity. This implies that there will most likely be

introgression Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in genetics is the transfer of genetic material from one species into the gene pool of another by the repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species. Introg ...

between the escapees and the local wild salmon population. Farmed salmon escape incidents can cause irreversible and substantial impacts on wild salmon populations. Farmed salmon can compete with wild salmon for resources, introduce diseases, and reduce genetic diversity through interbreeding. Escape incidents can also lead to the extinction of wild salmon over time.

Reaction

Since this incident, there has also been a

sea lice Sea lice (singular: sea louse) are copepods (small crustaceans) of the family Caligidae within the order Siphonostomatoida. They are marine ectoparasites (external parasites) that feed on the mucus, epidermal tissue, and blood of host fish. Th ...

outbreak at an open sea salmon farm in

Tálknafjörður Tálknafjörður () is a fjord located in southern Westfjords between Patreksfjörður and Bíldudalur in Iceland. The term is also used for the immediate village and the former municipality of Tálknafjarðarhreppur. In January 2024, the municip ...

, Iceland. Many locals and environmentalists protested against open sea fish farm industries in Iceland. On November 9, 2023, Icelandic singer-songwriter,

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

, released a song titled, "Oral,''"'' in collaboration with Catalan pop star,

Rosalía Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish Pop music, pop and flamenco singer. She has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. After being enthral ...

. The profits of the song will go towards supporting activists fighting for new laws and regulations for aquaculture in Iceland.

References

{{improve categories, date=July 2024 Animal-related controversies Missing or escaped animals