Iceland reviews assessment rules over fish-farm escape risks

Iceland’s Environment, Energy and Climate Ministry is considering changes to environmental assessment rules to clarify whether risk assessments must account for indirect effects of natural hazards, including accidental escapes from sea-cage fish farms caused by avalanches. The ministry has not yet determined which changes would be appropriate, mbl.is reported.

The information was provided by Environment, Energy and Climate Minister Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson in response to a question from Halla Hrund Logadóttir, a Progressive Party MP, about assessing natural-hazard risks in coastal areas. The minister said an assessment of risks to people alone cannot replace an assessment of potential environmental damage.

Call for clearer requirements

Logadóttir asked how the ministry had responded to a memorandum from the Planning Agency dated 18 October 2024, whether a review of the regulation on avalanche-risk assessments had begun, what requirements and standards currently apply, and which authorities are responsible for the assessments.

The Planning Agency’s memorandum called for a clear framework for risk-assessment requirements when planning and issuing permits for marine and coastal areas. It said avalanche risks had not been assessed at the planning stage in the Eastfjords and Westfjords coastal plans. Instead, such assessments were expected during environmental reviews of projects or before permit decisions.

However, special planning provisions were set for area SN2 in Selstaðavík, in the Eastfjords. A more detailed assessment of avalanche risks and the possibility of accidental escapes must be completed before a fish-farming permit is granted there.

The agency also said authorities should consider whether risk assessments should cover planning zones designated for specific uses, rather than individual structures, since fish farms can be moved within those zones. It also called for consideration of whether assessments account for environmental damage.

Ministry seeks information from Norway

The ministry met with the Icelandic Meteorological Office on 15 November 2025 and the Planning Agency on 6 December that year. The Ministry of Industries and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing were also informed.

The ministry has asked Norwegian counterparts for information on standards and safety criteria that could be used in Iceland. Norway faces similar challenges, including those connected to sea-cage fish farming.

The ministry considers ensuring that structures can withstand avalanche forces without causing environmental damage to be an engineering issue. It says the likelihood of such damage should be addressed in operating-permit conditions after the risk has been assessed through an environmental review of a project or plan.

No separate review of the avalanche regulation has begun specifically to clarify whether or how it applies to coastal planning. However, its relationship with coastal-area use, planning and environmental assessment is being considered. A comprehensive review is planned after the minister’s bill to amend the laws on protection against snow avalanches and landslides has been considered.