Iceland's aquaculture bill will be the hot topic at IceFish conference

Iceland’s new aquaculture bill will be put under the microscope at an aquaculture conference in Kópavogur, Reykjavík, later this year, the organiser of the event says.

The bill has just gone through first reading in the country’s parliament, the Althing, and is now being considered in the Industry and Trade Committee before a second reading.

The timing of the legislation makes the Aquaculture – Driving Sustainable Growth conference at the IceFish event the ideal forum to hear more about the Act’s implementation and to continue the discussions generally around open-net and sea-cage farming, land-based farming, offshore aquaculture and fjord farming, according to event organiser Mercator Media.

IceFish will be held from September 22-24, and will feature a new Aquaculture Hub. The aquaculture conference will be held on September 22 and will address many of the key issues that the bill itself will cover.

Stronger supervision

Iceland’s industry and fisheries minister Hanna Katrin Fridriksson has previously said that one of the main goals of the bill is to ensure more effective management of growth in the sector by strengthening administration and supervision.

The bill covers more forms of production than previously. For the first time, an overarching framework is proposed for land-based aquaculture, which has seen strong growth in Iceland in recent years, with projects such as Laxey, First Water and Thor Salmon well under way with construction and production, as well as Samherji’s Salmon Garden and Geosalmo under development.

A framework for offshore aquaculture is also being established, including the possibility of research and development permits. In addition, trials with so-called fjord grazing are being opened up. Fjord grazing is an experimental method where fish are kept in deep, closed cages and fed with natural zooplankton that are attracted to light. 

“This is still at an early stage, and the bill is intended to provide a legal basis for pilot projects,” explained Fridriksson.

Semi-closed containment

The aquaculture conference will include a presentation from Stewart Graham, owner and chief executive of Inverness-based aquaculture supplier Gael Force Group, and founder of a new company, SeaQureFarming Group, which aims to farm fish in a SeaQureWell semi-closed containment system developed by Gael Force Group.

“At Aquaculture – Driving Sustainable Growth, I’ll share our perspective on why semi-closed containment plays a key part in our sector’s quest for an ever more economic, efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly way to farm fish,” said Graham.

Following the aquaculture conference, there will be a two-day Fish for Profit conference on September 23-24 that will explore how to unlock value from every part of wild caught or harvested fish, transforming the whole fish into high-value products across a range of markets.

The conferences run alongside the IceFish trade show which started out serving the Icelandic commercial fishing industries and has expanded to include aquaculture.

The last edition of IceFish in 2024 attracted more than 10,000 visitors and had 247 exhibitors.