In its latest film "Laxaþjóð - A Salmon Nation", unveiled here in full, Patagonia takes us to Iceland, where intensive salmon farming in open-net pens is having far greater consequences than anyone could imagine. A petition is online, and the Icelandic government's next decision on the matter is eagerly awaited.
Naturally, fishing is a theme that resonates with Patagonia. The brand was founded over 50 years ago by Yvon Chouinard, a passionate fly fisherman. Now 85, Yvon Chouinard decided two years ago to transfer 100% of the family's shares in the company to a trust (Patagonia Purpose Trust) and to an environmental association, the Holdfast Collective. Patagonia has always fought these battles in every corner of the globe. In its latest film, "Laxaþjóð - A Salmon Nation", which you can watch in full below, the brand tackles the problem of intensive salmon farming in open-net pens in Iceland.
"As a fly fisherman, I've seen with my own eyes how Icelandic waters are degrading faster than I could ever have imagined," explains Yvon Chouinard. "We've made all the mistakes of industrial agriculture on land, and now we're making the same disastrous mistakes with fish farming."
Set in the open sea off the coast of Iceland, huge nets house thousands of salmon, which grow in these pens. The problem is that the number of fish in these confined spaces is immense, and the culture of farmed salmon involves mistreatment due to animal stress and high levels of parasites and disease. The result is a high mortality rate, mainly due to heart attacks.
In total, one salmon in five dies before being slaughtered for human consumption. That's four million farmed salmon killed in Iceland's open-net pens. That's 72 times more than the total number of wild salmon in Iceland. Another problem is that escapes of these farmed fish are frequent, threatening wild salmon due to the parasites and diseases brought in by human-raised salmon. Studies have shown that 3,500 farmed salmon escaped from a single pen in Iceland in August 2023. These salmon were then found in over 50 rivers across the country. They are a real threat to wild salmon.
This industrial fish farming method threatens both to destroy one of Europe's last wilderness areas and to drive local salmon populations to extinction. A contradiction in terms with Iceland's unspoilt natural landscape.
This year, the Icelandic government is preparing to pass new legislation on industrial fish farming. With this film and the support of the local population (70% of Icelanders are opposed to salmon farming in open-net pens), Patagonia hopes to move the lines. In 2019, the brand had already supported several NGOs that had handed the Icelandic government the signatures of 180,000 people calling for an end to salmon farming in open-net pens. On our scale, in addition to the possibility of sharing the Patagonia film around us, a petition which any of us can sign, has been put online to ban this type of breeding.