Majority Oppose Open-Net Fish Farming

A large majority of voters for Iceland’s governing coalition parties oppose open-net sea fish farming, according to a new Gallup poll. Around 64% of the population has a negative view of the industry.

The poll was conducted by Gallup between July 3rd and 17th, with 936 respondents. It was commissioned by the Icelandic Nature Conservation Association. According to the results, 13.5% of respondents said they had a positive view of salmon farming in open net pens, while 22% were undecided. In contrast, 64.1% said they were opposed to the practice.

“It’s encouraging to see how strongly the public has formed an opinion on open-net sea farming. The nation clearly recognises how harmful this industry is to marine life, the environment, and the farmed animals themselves. That’s very positive. In general, Icelanders are far ahead of other nations in terms of awareness of the damage this industry causes,” said Jón Kaldal, spokesperson for the Icelandic Nature Conservation Association in an interview with RÚV.

There was little difference in opinion based on gender, education level, or age — although people over 70 were the most supportive of fish farming. However, views did vary between constituencies. Voters in the Northwest, where sea farming is active in several locations — especially the Westfjords — were the most supportive, with 33% in favour and 49% opposed. In the Northeast, only 10% viewed sea farming positively, while 67% were opposed.

“That’s a very clear result there, likely due to proposals introduced this spring to bring open-net sea farming to Eyjafjörður, which locals strongly oppose,” Jón noted.

Opposition to open-net farming is also strong among voters for all three coalition parties, with 70-80% against it. The most supportive are voters of the Independence Party (35% in favour), followed by the Centre Party (29%) and the Progressive Party (28%).

Sixty per cent of respondents said they would support a full ban on salmon farming in open net pens, while just over 20% were in favour of allowing it.

“I’d say this is a very strong call to action from voters across the political spectrum, as there’s over 60% opposition in every party except the Progressives and the Independence Party. Even then, more Progressive voters are against the industry than for it,” Jón added. “The government clearly has broad and deep support for bringing this industry under control.”