Minister considers environmental liability law after fish farm escapes

Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, Iceland’s environment, energy and climate minister, is examining whether environmental liability legislation applies to accidental escapes from sea-cage fish farms, mbl.is reports.

The issue was raised during an unprepared question session in Iceland’s parliament on Thursday. The minister said he had instructed the Environmental and Energy Agency early last year to assess whether the legislation applied.

The review followed comments from the Planning Agency, now known as the Housing and Construction Authority, in October 2024. The agency had questioned whether regulations should be amended to strengthen protections for commercial activity in areas exposed to landslides and avalanches.

The matter has been discussed in connection with Seyðisfjörður, a fjord where the company Kaldvík was recently granted an operating permit for sea cages. The permit has prompted intense debate over sea-cage fish farming, while the minister said he had been concerned about the area’s risk of landslides and avalanches.

Halla Hrund Logadóttir, a Progressive Party member of parliament, asked about the work related to the 2024 memorandum. She questioned whether potential legal changes concerning landslide hazards and accidental escapes should have been completed before large permits were issued or related work began.

“This is not about whether people support or oppose fish farming. It is about companies being able to rely on a stable legal framework,” Halla Hrund said. She added that communities needed clarity and that the issue had to be considered in relation to the environment as a whole.

Jóhann Páll said it was regrettable that a legal framework for sea-cage fish farming had not been completed during the previous parliamentary session. However, he said work had begun after the Planning Agency’s memorandum to review regulations concerning possible environmental damage and requirements for commercial activity in areas exposed to landslides and avalanches.

Environmental liability legislation was part of that review. The minister said it had been a relatively inactive legal framework since it was introduced, but was one of the few tools available to him to intervene in cases involving accidental escapes and environmental damage linked to sea-cage fish farming.