In Iceland, two major companies farm millions of salmon and brag about revitalizing the region. However, critics are sounding the alarm. The fish have degenerated and pose a threat to the survival of wild stocks.
There are scenes that seem to come from a bad movie: fish that look like carcasses, but are still swimming around alive. Her face is eaten away by sea lice and bacteria. And yet it goes online and then onto our plates. Some earn millions from it, Spiegel reports. While this means that the ‘good’ salmon is lost.
The whole discussion started with an image of a ‘zombie salmon’ in Iceland, shared by activist Veiga Grétarsdóttir. Last fall alone, workers there reportedly pulled about a million “zombie salmon” from the sea in just a few days. The majority of them were dead or almost dead. As a result, they were traced back to a fish farm. From there, according to “Spiegel”, thousands of farm animals escape to the open sea and then invade the areas of wild salmon.
Many protests are shaking the country
And fish farm salmon is polarizing. Many citizens fear that sick and fatty farm animals will damage the ecosystem and displace wild salmon. In the capital Reykjavik, people are now taking to the barricades – two-thirds of people are now against this breeding. Singers Björk and Rosalia have even dedicated a song to the fish:
“We are modernizing the Icelandic economy,” emphasizes Bjørn Hembre, director of Arnarlax, the market leader in Icelandic salmon farming.
Hembre says his company wants to meet the rapidly increasing demand for salmon. The director explains that the fish are prepared for the sea in a darkened hall for a year. They were then taken to the sea and kept there in nets. However, many zombie salmon escape. And thus endangering the ‘natural’ salmon in the wild. By the way, 70 percent of salmon for consumption now comes from farms.
Semi-automated fish slaughterhouse
Hembre explains that his company has a semi-automated fish slaughterhouse. This has a machine to kill fish and a high-tech device that removes all the animals’ intestines with a kind of vacuum cleaner. Animals pass by on rubber bands and are picked out by the workers. According to the information, there are six different categories, each determined by a metal button, including “machine error”, “injured” and “deformed”. Well: meal!
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
