Management of salmon farming,
protection and use of the coastal zone in
Iceland
Sigurdur Gudjonsson
Institute of Freshwater Fisheries
Icelandic rivers are diverse in nature
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Geology
Topography
Vegetation
Climate
Geology of Iceland
Ocean currents affect climate
Iceland is far away from other
countries. Isolation for many species
Few species of organism in freshwater in
Iceland
6 species of fish (42 Norway)
Salmon
Brown trout
Arctic char
Eel (anguilla, rostrata)
Three spined stickleback
Icelandic rivers and lakes
•  Diverse environment
•  Few species (island, short time since ice age)
•  Very special template for evolution. Species
in more niches than elsewhere, where there
are more species
Atlantic salmon in Iceland
•  Genetic studies showed that we have distinct salmon
stock in each river and in larger river systems there are
more than 1 stock
•  The stocks within regions more related to each other than
to stocks in other regions
•  Strains originated from Norway used in salmon farming
showed the highest genetic distance
•  The populations also show local adaptations such as
differences in life histories and time of migration and
spawning etc.
Management of salmon
•  Ban on ocean fishery
•  Fixed (constant) fishing effort i.e. limited
number of rods allowed for limited number of
days
•  Fishing 35.000-50.000 salmon each year, catch
and release increasing
Law on freshwater fishing
•  Fishing rights are privately owned - The fishing
rights go with the land adjacent to a river or a
lake.
•  All landowners must form a fishing association for
each watershed.- Mandatory fishing associations.
Since 1970
•  Every member (land owner) owns a share (some
%) and gets a share from the income or pays a
share in the expense of the association.
•  Every member has one vote in the association.
•  Mandatory for all fishing association to form a
federation. (Federation of river owners) Since
1994.
Salmon rivers
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About 100 salmon rivers in Iceland.
There of 20 rivers with very good fishing.
Very sophisticated angling facilities
Packages are offered for fishermen, where
everything is included; travel, lodging,
food, guidance and fishing.
•  Expensive in the best rivers at prime time,
but the demand is high.
•  Prices have thus been increasing
The economical value of salmon
fishery in Iceland
•  The annual turnover in the sport-fishery in Iceland
is about 12.000 million Icelandic kronur. (Iskr)
200 million Canadian dollars
•  The annual net income of river associations is
about 15-20 % thereof.
•  Highest income per salmon caught in the world
•  About 55-60.000 Icelanders (1/3) pursue sport
-fishing in Iceland every year (trout and salmon)
•  People are willing to pay 2 times more to have the
resource in the future
The economical value of salmon sport
fishery in Iceland
•  About 46 % of the income in agriculture in the
western part of Iceland is originated from salmon
and trout fishing. 7-14% in other parts.
•  The salmon fishery has created about 1.200 jobs in
Iceland
•  If there was no salmon fishery 2.600-3.100 million
Iskr. would be lost from the economy of Iceland.
•  The fishing of trout and char is being developed
and has high potential of returning high income.
•  Fishing licences available at both high and low
prices.
Catch of Atlantic salmon
worldwide
Atlantic salmon stocks in the
world
•  Atlantic salmon is extinct in 27 % of its
original watersheds
•  It is endangered in 30 % other watersheds
•  The causes are many; dams, habitat
destruction, pollution, acid rain, fish farming
etc.
•  Many efforts are to reverse this development.
Salmon farming in Iceland
•  In the late 80´s cage rearing-did not go well
•  Land based units in the 90´s
•  Recent developments in the late 90´s of cage
farming
•  Production 6.000 metric tons
Risk analyses of salmon farming
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Salmon escape from cages (%)
The fish farms use a Norwegian strain
Disease and parasites. (Sea lice)
Genetic mixing. Breakdown of local adaptation
Ecological effects
Risk analyses of salmon farming
•  The survival of escapees depend on the time of
year and size of escape
•  Salmon escaping in spring and summer have
highest survival.
•  Salmon escaping at smolt stage return to the
farm. Larger escapee migrate further away.
•  Disease and parasite.
•  Highest risk closest to the farms
Risk analyses of salmon farming
•  Salmon rivers valuable part of Icelandic nature
•  Salmon fisheries valuable for the country
•  Minimize the risk by banning salmon farming
in the vicinity of the main salmon rivers
Areas where salmon farming is banned
Salmon farming
•  Many salmon farming companies in Iceland
are now producing cod (cages) and arctic char
(land based) and have stopped salmon farming
•  Higher prices
•  Fish meal and oil getting more expensive.
Better use of pelagic fishing-production for
human consumption instead of making meal
and oil.
Coastal managementFurther planning is needed
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Other use of the coastal areas
Protection of important areas
Cod farming
Mussel farming
Recreation
Fishing
Sailing
And more.....
Coastal planning and management
•  Coastal planning and management more and
more important
•  New center at University of Iceland in coastal
planning and management – vacant position
Cod spawning areas in Iceland
Areas licensed for
experimental cod
farming
Thank you