The board of the Westfjords Tourism Association has reiterated its opposition to an application for aquaculture cages to be sites in the Jökulfjörður area in north-western Iceland as local travel businesses and the aquaculture are set to clash.
Salmon producer Arnarlax has applied for licences to produce 10,000 tonnes of salmon spread across seven sites Jökulfjörður sites, some of which are off the coast of a national park. The Association states that a 10,000 tonne licence is equivalent to the entirety of the licences already in place for the larger Ísafjarðardjúp region and is a volume equal to the production of the district’s two largest fish producers, reports Bæjarins Besta.
‘There have regularly been proposals to utilise Jökulfjörður for industrial purposes, such as aquaculture, so these ideas are not new’ stated the Association, commenting that when these ideas had been floated in the past, they were abandoned to allow the local tourist industry to flourish instead.
The Association has challenged the authorities to protest the Jökulfjörður area and set regulations to outlaw aquaculture in the area.
‘Travel operators have understood the importance of aquaculture to the Ísafjarðardjúp and are aware of its importance in providing employment and value for the region. Now there are aquaculture operations either in progress or being planned in practically every fjord in the Ísafjarðardjúp. The Tourism Association’s opinion is that there is a need to take stock and complete planning and impact assessments before taking things further.’
