Iceland
BY VINCE MCDONAGH
Northern star
Iceland’s fish farming saga is on the verge of an exciting new chapter
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NEW force in Atlan�c salmon farming is star�ng to make its presence felt on the world stage: Iceland. From being a mere bit player only a few years ago, the country is fast moving up the aquaculture ladder. Iceland’s aquaculture industry took a major step forward last month when Samherji, the country’s largest conven�onal fishing and seafood processing company, unveiled a £263m plan to build a major land based salmon farm complex on the coast a few miles south of the capital. This innova�ve project, agreed with the generator HS Orka, will be sited next to a geothermal power plant at Reykjanes which will provide the electricity. It will eventually produce 40,000 tonnes of salmon, which is 6,000 tonnes more than the en�re country harvested in 2020. Other companies are lining up with their own plans. There are predic�ons that Iceland’s salmon output could overtake Scotland’s current produc�on total of 204,000 tonnes by 2030. At the moment the focus on this rugged island of 360,000 people – o�en called the land of ice and fire – has been about the spectacular erup�on from the Fagradals�all Volcano, not too far from the planned Samherji project site. But in business circles the talk is about fish farming, how far it can go and its impact on the na�onal economy. Development is s�ll at the jigsaw stage with various pieces coming together,
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and the full picture is far from complete. The two main fish farming regions are at either end of the country – the Wes�jords and the Eas�jords regions, with Samherji’s project somewhat isolated near Reykjavik in the south west. According to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs the export value of fish farming is likely to double in the next two years to US$322m (£232m) a year – and to con�nue rising. While trawler-caught cod remains king, farmed salmon was the second highest seafood export earner for Iceland at the start of this year. According to official figures the country saw salmon produc�on in 2020 rise by over 20% to 34,200 tonnes, which does not seem a lot when compared to Norway, Scotland or the Faroe Islands. But it is only a decade ago that Iceland’s
Above: Iceland Fish Farm Left: Samherji computer image of plant Below: New AKVA feed barge Opposite from top: Wes�jords; Þorstein Mar Baldvinsson
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
09/08/2021 14:53:42
