Faroese party releases salmon into fjord without notice

A local resident in Skálavík, Martin Kúrberg, reported seeing three men in a boat releasing farmed salmon into the fjord late on Saturday night, according to Faroese public broadcaster KVF.

Kúrberg said he asked the men what they were doing. They replied they were releasing salmon on behalf of the political party Firum and had permission to do so. He told KVF he had no prior knowledge of the release.

Kúrberg contacted both the police and the mayor of Skálavík municipality to ask if authorities were aware of the action. Neither had been informed.

“The nets were taken up the next day, after I had raised the alarm,” Kúrberg said. He questioned why the party had not used a different method, given the well-documented decline in wild salmon stocks in the Faroes.

“It would have been good if they had informed the public about what they were doing,” he said. “Releasing such a large number of farmed salmon into the fjord seems very reckless. If they want to study something, why not do it in a way that doesn’t risk harming the wild salmon?”